Homes Into Towers

This episode dives into the story of Colombo’s Urban Regeneration Project (URP) and the broader history of housing in Sri Lanka. From colonial-era settlements to Premadasa’s revolutionary Million Houses Programme, and finally to the controversial high-rise relocations of the 2010s, we explore how the promise of “development” often came at the cost of dispossession.  

We hear the voices of residents who describe life in “vertical slums,” where broken lifts, unaffordable fees, and loss of community have replaced the vibrant social fabric of the "watte". The podcast asks: Who really benefits from the dream of a World-Class City?

Uncover the hidden costs of urban transformation, the resilience of communities, and the lessons Sri Lanka’s housing history offers for the future.