A Study of the Urbanizing Pattern in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka with Connectivity Analysis

In any geography, it is observable that locations better connected to many other locations attract urban activities and therefore, are in relatively more advantageous positions than the less connected locations in the competition for growth. In that sense, a thorough analysis of the connectivity of different locations in a region will enable regional planners to evolve workable spatial strategies for the development of that region. The study presented in this paper is a test of this relationship between the trends of urban agglomerations and the patterns of connectivity of the urban centres in Kegalle district of Sri Lanka. The study was based on the node-axial diagrams derived from road maps of the region, in which the axial nodes represent urban centres. The relative connectivity of the axial nodes was computed at local and global levels in terms of their accessibility from all other nodes in the area selected for the purpose. The prevailing states of urban agglomerations of the centres were evaluated in terms of the availability of urban facilities, commercial, trade and informal activities in those centres. The relative connectivity values are correlated with the urban agglomeration values to test the relationship between the two. The results indicate a high possibility of connectivity analysis to predict the urban agglomeration trends in a region.