Challenge
As major cities continuously grow, basic urban services and infrastructure have not kept up to meet growing demand, and existing assets are deteriorating due to lack of maintenance. Responsibility for delivering infrastructure and services are fragmented at the local level, with municipalities responsible for limited mandates. Other areas are often coordinated and managed by various agencies at the national level. Furthermore, people living in poverty and vulnerable to poverty are concentrated around the country’s main urban areas, posing challenges for major cities to provide equitable services. For instance, in Kandy, the bus system and terminal creates substantial traffic and management issues for the city and has become a key bottleneck for the historic city to thrive. However, this issue is not only a city-level problem as it serves the bus system nationwide and therefore should be addressed at a much high level.
