On the basis of the
ward-wise analysis of the floor space distribution, a total of 13,026,290 sq.
m. (140,211,729 sq. ft.) of floor space was available in the city of Colombo in
1996. This total includes all types of floor space. However, it is believed that
the total floor space could be 2% to 5% higher than the above figure since the
information used to calculate the floor space has not been verified and the space
occupied by tenement and shanties was also not properly accounted for . If the
total floor space is 2% to 5% greater than the total reported above, then the
available total floor space in the city would be between 13.29 and 13.66 Mn. sq.
m. (143 to 147 Mn. sq. ft.).
A
breakdown in terms of the floors of these buildings suggest that ground floor
of the buildings accounted for about 63.0% of the floor space and about 42.6%
of plot coverage of the city. The floor space of the ground and the first floors
taken together is about 85.7%. This clearly shows that the city has not undergone
intensive development, but has continued with horizontal expansion. This reflects
the absence of regulations governing building densities. They are also the contributory
factors that encouraged the conversion of valuable urban lands into uses that
are mostly inappropriate.
The
maximum intensity of development in the city, as shown by the Floor Area Ratio
(FAR) is 1:1.36. However, only a very small percentage of the floor area represented
this maximum intensity ratio. Even a FAR of 1:1.0 was reached by only a few Municipal
wards . Taking the total floor space of 13.01 Mn. square meters in to account,
it appears that the average FAR in the city is less than 1:1.0
