Towards Equitable Progress ― Essays from a South Asian Perspective

This book gathers a collection of essays presented from the perspective of a spatial planner whose working life has been immersed in South Asia. It concerns some of the serious challenges that need to be confronted in the South Asian context, including the externalities and ethical concerns that arise in the process of development. The mid-20th century saw a considerable focus in the West on assisting those countries emerging from European colonial domination. Theories were propounded and international agencies established to facilitate a process called ‘development’ in these countries. However, even after six decades of extraordinary expenditures and effort, millions among the targeted populations remain illiterate, live in abject poverty, and are the most vulnerable groups to external disasters, debilitating diseases and untimely death. In addition, the book reveals the theoretical inadequacies that negatively impact ongoing development efforts. Lastly, it identifies an available alternative set of science-based approaches that could facilitate the serious pursuit of equitable progress in South Asia and potentially also in other low and middle income countries.

Dr. K. Locana Gunaratna is a Fellow of The National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka. He is an architect trained at the AA School in London who received his Master’s in City Planning from Harvard University and his PhD from the University of Colombo. He has led many professional associations including the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka, the Institute of Town Planners Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects. Presently, he is a partner at Gunaratna Associates, Chartered Architects, Engineers and Planning Consultants, Colombo, where he uses his extensive experience working with the government in areas such as the Ministry of Urban Development and Mahaweli Development Board. His research focuses on urban spaces and development in Sri Lanka, a topic on which he has written extensively. His publications include the books Spatial Concerns in Development: A Sri Lankan Perspective and Shelter in Sri Lanka: 1978–1991.