The 60th worldwide celebration of World Town Planning Day falls on November 8. This is a special day to recognise how important urban, rural, and regional planning is in creating healthy and vibrant communities. Town planning is the integration of the disciplines of land use, environment, housing, transport planning, to explore a very wide range of aspects of urbanised local authorities and communities. Regional planning deals with a still larger environment, at a less detailed level.

There had not been a profession as such called "town planning" in ancient Sri Lanka. However archeological evidence in existence points to a high level of town planning throughout Sri Lankan history. Development of town planning in the modern period dates back to the period of European domination in 1505. As a result of being a British colony, the Municipal Ordinance, Housing and Town Improvement Ordinance and Town and Country Planning Ordinance were introduced giving city planning a sound legal base.

After independence, the Urban Development Authority Act of 1978 and the amendment to the Town and Country Planning Ordinance in 2000 were enacted. Sri Lanka cannot be satisfied with the present status of town planning and a huge gap exists between the desired level of livability and the existing state.

During the last six decades since independence planners have been over emphasising the need for developing Colombo and Western Province. The neglect of other parts of the country has created an in balance in equitable distribution of opportunities. Since the last regional development plan for western province which is known as Colombo Metropolitan Regional Structural Plan (CMRSP) 1992-2010 and the attempt to revise it with Western Province Mega polis Plan, in 2002, there has been hardly any serious attempt to guide the development of western province up to at least 2030.

Today World Town Planning Day presents a golden opportunity to look at planning from a global perspective to promote a broad based awareness, support and advocacy of community and town planning among the general public and all levels of government through activities in recognition of Sri Lankan accomplishments. In this regard the Urban Development Authority, National Physical Planning Department and all local Authorities and Town Planning Professionals have a daunting task to guide the country, regions and local areas towards development at a time when the country is protected from terrorism and treading a new path to prosperity.