Colombo: a colonial city in transition

Abstract

My interest in Colombo, its morphology, the people and the economic functions is not new. In 1958 as a member of the Times of Ceylon, a pioneer newspaper publishing firm, I took an interest to identify myself with the city, its way of life and the people. During the 1959-1961 period I worked at the Ceylon State Mortgage Bank, the oldest credit institution in Ceylon. All these experiences were valuable in compiling this thesis. These interests were strengthened and reviewed once more as a result of a brief visit to Colombo during November 1963-February 1964. In addition, the B.A. (Hons.) course in 1964 and the Urban Geography paper in particular, helped me to focus my attention on Colombo in a systematic manner. I am grateful for the encouragement and assistance of Professor K.M. Buchanan and Mr. T.G. McGee in compiling this thesis. Professor Buchanan had to write constant letters to Colombo to get a substantial amount of statistical data. His comments on an early draft of this thesis were helpful. Mr. McGee spent many valuable hours reading the early manuscripts and his comments were very valuable.