Well-Being of Occupants of Low-Income Housing Projects in Colombo

The purpose of this study is to assess the well-being in terms of economic, social, and environmental aspects of the displaced community from low-income housing projects in Colombo, Sri Lanka. For this purpose, the primary data was collected by interviewing 25 resettled households who were living in low-income housing projects and observing them. The secondary data was collected via articles, books, newspapers, gazette notifications, etc., to data utilization and further validation of the study findings. Using the thematic analysis method, the study findings were ascertained. The key findings of the study revealed that the relocation of people from informal settlements to new homes could be seen as a testament to the positive and negative effects of the financial, social, and environmental changes that have taken place in their lives. This study is important to identify the basic problems of the new housing families in the city of Colombo and to be able to provide the information needed to make resettlement housing plans and infrastructure to minimize those problems in future housing projects. © 2022 The Authors. Published by Department of Estate Management and Valuation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Keywords: Urban poverty, Low- income housing, unauthorized houses, wellbeing, Sri Lank

Challenges in Applying the DCF Method for Investment Property Valuation in Sri Lanka: Insights from a Delphi Study

This study aimed to identify the challenges of implementing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) valuation method for investment properties in Sri Lanka. Through a mixed methodological approach involving the Delphi technique and structured interviews, insights were gathered from industry valuation experts via two Delphi rounds. The study's key findings were derived from the consensus reached among these experts, focusing on data- and valuer-bound factors. One of the primary challenges identified in the Sri Lankan context is the lack of training, which significantly hinders the knowledge and understanding required for implementing the DCF method effectively. Other significant hurdles included obtaining relevant data and accurately determining the discount rate. Imperfections in available data, the absence of a centralized digital data system, and challenges associated with increasing cash flows and market uncertainties also hindered the adoption of the DCF method in Sri Lanka. This study contributes to the existing DCF literature and provides valuable insights for practitioners and future researchers in the field of property valuation in Sri Lanka

DOES PROXIMITY TO WATER BODIES IMPACTS MARKET VALUES OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES? CASE STUDY OF DIYAWANNAWA LAKE AREA

This study examined the impact of water bodies with a scenic view on residential property values around Diyawannawa lake located within Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Municipal council (a suburban area of Colombo district). The study employed both primary (structural and environmental data related to properties, different types of benefits generated from waterbodies) and secondary data (market evidence) whilst the data analysis included content analysis and a regression analysis (hedonic pricing model). Water bodies with scenic views generate multiple utilities for residents such as observing nature, relaxation, and playing, pleasant views, appreciation of colour and sounds, relationships with family members and neighbors, a place to exercise and cycling, stress relief likewise. According to the study, between 2019-2020, a residential property with a scenic view of 600 or more to Diyawannawa Lake had a premium market value of Rs. 803,433.05 compared to other properties. Furthermore, the residential properties one meter away from such water body showed a decrease in market value of Rs. 23049.65. These findings will raise awareness on the benefits of water bodies with scenic views and it will lead to greater acceptance by residents, developers, local authorities to invest and protect them, which could contribute to overcoming one of the barriers to maintaining such water bodies in good condition. Keywords: water bodies; residential property; market valu

TIME ON THE MARKET OF RESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUM UNITS WITH PRE-SALE ARRANGEMENT IN COLOMBO DISTRICT

The purpose of this paper is to study the time on market (TOM) for residential condominium units under pre sales arrangements and what key factors drive that TOM. The contextual understanding of previous studies on TOM for residential properties confined for properties sold either in the secondary market or properties where construction is completed. This study focuses on the relationships among TOM, listed price, and basic property characteristics of residential condominium units sold under the provisional condominium plan in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Following non-probability sampling technique, this study examines TOM of 189 pre-sale residential condominium units in Colombo district which came into market between 2016 January to 2019 January. Developers were approached to collect required data such as transaction price, transaction date, final listed date listed price, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, floor area, floor level, construction completion, discounting rates likewise. Data analysis followed descriptive statistics, Pearson Correlation, and multiple regression model. The analysis highlighted that from January-2016 to January-2019, TOM of provisional residential condominiums of Colombo varied from 12.76 to 5.51 months. The results further highlighted that the TOM of a pre-sale provisional residential condominium unit is a function of floor area, number of bathrooms, level of the unit, construction completion & discount rate. The study highlights that during the period considered, the floor area units of 744sqft at the initial stage of construction with a discount rate between 10% to 20% from the listed price can predicted to have the lowest TOM.. Keywords: Time on the Market; Pre-sale; Residential Condominium Units; Listed Price; TransactionPrice

Obstacles Faced by Women in Food Crop Cultivation in the Urbanized Areas of Kandy District, Sri Lanka

Women contribute significantly to urban agriculture. Generally, they participate in pre-planting activities as well as post-harvest activities rather than the cultivation activities. However, it is noted that many women engage in gardening without the aid of men. Regardless of their roles, women, farmers face numerous challenges that prevent them from being as productive as they may be in urban environments.  This study investigated the problems faced by women farmers in urban areas with a focus on Kandy, Sri Lanka. According to the matrix ranking, lack of sufficient land was cited as the critical issue that is 48.5% of the respondents, while 9 (13.6%) and 3 (4.5%) respondents placed it as the second and third biggest problem, respectively. Appropriate suggestions were also made, such as agricultural extension programs particularly for women farmers, and including women in agricultural decision-making. © 2022 The Authors. Published by Department of Estate Management and Valuation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.   Keywords: Women farmers, Urban agriculture, Participation&nbsp

Factors Hindering the Use of Urban Farming Techniques in Buildings: Architects’ Perspective

Researchers and the government have advocated for the implementation of urban agriculture projects in Sri Lanka; however, the demand and supply of sustainable urban agriculture initiatives have been limited and are growing slowly. This study aims to explore the obstacles hindering the adoption of sustainable urban agriculture. The research employed a cross-sectional survey methodology using a questionnaire encompassing 19 barriers to the adoption of sustainable urban agriculture, administered to 34 professionals within the relevant industry. The study found that the key barriers inhibiting the uptake of sustainable urban agriculture in Sri Lanka are the lack of experience in implementing urban agriculture projects within the industry, challenges related to maintenance, insufficient technology for implementing, and the higher capital costs associated with sustainable urban agriculture compared to conventional practices. In light of the findings, it can be inferred that the advancement of sustainable urban agriculture hinges on factors such as technological innovation, effective policies, skill enhancement, increased awareness, improved homebuyer engagement, and cost considerations. The research concludes by presenting a comprehensive cycle of barriers that must be addressed to accelerate the adoption of sustainable urban agriculture practices

Kinetic Heterogeneities in a Highly Supercooled Liquid

We study a highly supercooled two-dimensional fluid mixture via molecular dynamics simulation. We follow bond breakage events among particle pairs, which occur on the scale of the $\alpha$ relaxation time $\tau_{\alpha}$. Large scale heterogeneities analogous to the critical fluctuations in Ising systems are found in the spatial distribution of bonds which are broken in a time interval with a width of order $0.05\tau_{\alpha}$. The structure factor of the broken bond density is well approximated by the Ornstein-Zernike form. The correlation length is of order $100 \sigma_1$ at the lowest temperature studied, $\sigma_1$ being the particle size. The weakly bonded regions thus identified evolve in time with strong spatial correlations.Comment: 3 pages, 6 figure

Solidity of Viscous Liquids

Recent NMR experiments on supercooled toluene and glycerol by Hinze and Bohmer show that small rotation angles dominate with only few large molecular rotations. These results are here interpreted by assuming that viscous liquids are solid-like on short length scales. A characteristic length, the "solidity length", separates solid-like behavior from liquid-like behavior.Comment: Plain RevTex file, no figure

Diffusion and viscosity in a supercooled polydisperse system

We have carried out extensive molecular dynamics simulations of a supercooled polydisperse Lennard-Jones liquid with large variations in temperature at a fixed pressure. The particles in the system are considered to be polydisperse both in size and mass. The temperature dependence of the dynamical properties such as the viscosity ($\eta$) and the self-diffusion coefficients ($D_i$) of different size particles is studied. Both viscosity and diffusion coefficients show super-Arrhenius temperature dependence and fit well to the well-known Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) equation. Within the temperature range investigated, the value of the Angell's fragility parameter (D $\approx 1.4$) classifies the present system into a strongly fragile liquid. The critical temperature for diffusion ($T_o^{D_i}$) increases with the size of the particles. The critical temperature for viscosity ($T_o^{\eta}$) is larger than that for the diffusion and a sizeable deviations appear for the smaller size particles implying a decoupling of translational diffusion from viscosity in deeply supercooled liquid. Indeed, the diffusion shows markedly non-Stokesian behavior at low temperatures where a highly nonlinear dependence on size is observed. An inspection of the trajectories of the particles shows that at low temperatures the motions of both the smallest and largest size particles are discontinuous (jump-type). However, the crossover from continuous Brownian to large length hopping motion takes place at shorter time scales for the smaller size particles.Comment: Revtex4, 7 pages, 8 figure