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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 8d

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 8d

Have you read the latest edition of Colombo Urban Lab's New Publications Newsletter?

Inside, you’ll find a round-up of our recent publications and articles.

Read it here: mailchi.mp/bdf7f65eef55...

Colombo Urban Lab | New Publications

mailchi.mp

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 8d

CSF Director Iromi Perera will speak at the National Symposium on Housing at Temple Trees, organised by the Ministry of Urban Development, Construction and Housing alongside World Habitat Day 2025, focusing on inclusive & sustainable housing for Sri Lanka

Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 14d

CUL researcher Meghal Perera shares her thoughts in The Examiner on how Colombo’s lack of toilets and gender-inclusive planning “shortens” women’s geography.

Read the article here: www.examiner.media/number-two-p...

https://www.examiner.media/number-two-priority-how-colombos-urban-planners-forgot-toilets-2/"

Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 18d

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 18d

Evicted overnight. Homes bulldozed. Compensation denied. Colombo’s “beautification” was enforced through militarised planning.
Read how poverty was policed through planning : www.csf-asia.org/criminalisat...

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 21d

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 21d

In Colombo, eviction was framed as liberation.
Media & state narratives cast poor communities as “squatters” & “slum dwellers,” justifying their removal.

Learn how stories were used as a strategy to criminalise Colombo's urban poor: www.csf-asia.org/criminalisat... "

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 22d

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 22d

Colombo’s wattes are rooted, self-built communities. Yet in the race to be “world-class,” they were recast as disorderly & removed. Urban planning became a tool of criminalisation.
Read more: www.csf-asia.org/criminalisat...

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 23d

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 23d

What does it mean when informality is treated as a crime?

In Colombo, criminalisation is not just about what happens after an arrest. It is built into laws, planning, and design.

Learn how Colombo’s poor are criminalised beyond courts and prisons : csf-asia.org/criminalisat...

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 24d

In Colombo, poverty itself is punished.

From street vending to self-built settlements, survival strategies are recast as unlawful. Evictions, militarised planning & high-rises turn homes into carceral spaces.
Read our full article: www.csf-asia.org/criminalisat...

Criminalisation of Poverty in Colombo

Criminalisation is often understood narrowly—as something that happens after a crime, involving police, courts, and prisons. But we argue that criminalisation is not only about breaking laws; it is ab...

https://www.csf-asia.org/criminalisation-of-poverty-in-colombo/"

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 29d

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 29d

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 29d

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · 29d

Colombo is being reshaped to look “world-class” — but often at the cost of inclusivity.

Hostile architecture makes public spaces less welcoming for citizens, while prioritising visitors.

Read our StoryMap to learn more: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a277...

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · Sep 3

"NEW POLICY REPORT: We look at how Sri Lanka's polycrisis has impacted the economic, social and cultural rights of working class poor families in Colombo. Despite clear State obligations, there are persistent gaps between formal commitments and reality.

www.csf-asia.org/covid-19-eco...

COVID-19, Economic Crisis, and the Erosion of Sri Lanka’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Commitments

Sri Lanka is a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), obligated to progressively realise rights such as adequate food, housing, health, education, ...

https://www.csf-asia.org/covid-19-economic-crisis-and-the-erosion-of-sri-lankas-economic-social-and-cultural-rights-commitments/"

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · Aug 27

What is hostile architecture and how does it impact us? Does Colombo have hostile or exclusionary infrastructure in public spaces? Read our latest StoryMap and see the map of locations, and why Sri Lanka must avoid this type of urban design.

storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a277...

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a277fd30920c423188d80b0832310b25"

Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · Aug 5

Missed our webinar 'Boiling Point'? It is now up on our Youtube channel!
Read our policy brief on the impact of heat stress on outdoor workers.

To watch the webinar- www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDFI...
To read the policy brief-https://tinyurl.com/2n22zh9u

Boiling Point Webinar July 2025

YouTube video by Centre for a Smart Future

www.youtube.com

Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · Aug 1

The first journal article from our FRESH food environments research with @ids.ac.uk is now out - We discuss the methodology, framework, application and findings in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... "

Centring lived experiences in food environment research: A methodological framework and application in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Poor-quality diets and diet-related non-communicable diseases are a pressing global issue. Food environments, where everyday food choices intersect wi…

www.sciencedirect.com

Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · Jul 22

WEBINAR STARTING IN 30 MINUTES

We present findings from our policy brief on heat stress and outdoor workers, followed by a panel on extreme heat in South Asia, its unequal impacts and urgent policy responses.

Join here: us02web.zoom.us/j/88231558646.

Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · Jul 22

HAPPENING TODAY
Join our webinar ‘Boiling Point’ at 6:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM UK.
We’ll share key insights on heat stress & outdoor workers, and discuss extreme heat in South Asia, its unequal impacts, & policy solutions.

Click here to join: us02web.zoom.us/j/88231558646

Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · Jul 21

HAPPENING TOMORROW
Our webinar ‘Boiling Point’ will present findings from our report on heat stress in Colombo, followed by a discussion on extreme heat in South Asia and policy solutions.
Time: 6.30pm IST/ 2.00pm UK
Click here to join: us02web.zoom.us/j/88231558646

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Colombo Urban Lab @colombourbanlab.bsky.social · Jul 17

Join us this weekend as Colombo Urban Lab’s Iromi Perera speaks at There Was Something Here Before — an exhibition tracing the entangled histories of slavery, memory & urban space between Sri Lanka & South Africa.
🗓️ July 19 📍Arcade Clock Tower, Colombo 7
Free Entry