Urban Infrastructure Development and Perceived Socioeconomic Impacts: A Community Perception Study of the Kegalle Alternative Road, Sri Lanka

Urban infrastructure development is a critical dimension of contemporary urban planning. Socio-economic impacts on residents, businesses, and relevant communities remain insufficiently examined in the Sri Lankan context. The study investigates the community perspective for economic and urban changes associated with the construction of the Kegalle alternative road. Furthermore, the study examines the potentials and challenges of the Kegalle and Mawanella cities using Multi-Criteria Analysis in delineating urban planning boundaries within both municipalities. The Kegalle Urban Development Plan (2030) and the Mawanella Urban Development Plan (2023–2033) by Urban Development Authority, Sri Lanka, were reviewed for the whole study. Mixed method approach was employed for the study. The survey questionnaire instrument was analyzed through the quantitative descriptive statistics and field work observations, community perspectives, and potential and challenges reviews were done by qualitative approach. A brief questionnaire is used for the survey data collection, and the sample was derived using a purposive sample. The collected data of 50 urban community members were categorized, tabulated, and analyzed. The 60% of the respondents expressed a negative economic impact resulting from the alternative road. The negative responses are based on the old Colombo-Kandy road, which results in fewer urban crowds after the construction. In contrast, for the view of the urban changes, 77% of respondents acknowledged the positive impact. They admired most prominently the reduction of traffic congestion. The study further identifies significant development potentials in both cities. Including strategic locational, tourism potential, and administrative prominence, there are identifiable strengths in the two cities. Critical planning challenges can be distinguished, such as inadequate infrastructure, environmental degradation, and ethnic conflict. The results recommend that future urban planning interventions incorporate structured public awareness programmes to enhance community engagement. Ensuring the socio-economic benefits of infrastructure development are equitably distributed among urban residents. Risk-sensitive land use planning and heritage conservation frameworks were proposed due to the disasters.