Development projects, especially those that include housing and public spaces, must mainstream the idea of social infrastructure. Going beyond its physical manifestations like parks or even community centres and look at the social needs of a community, drawing from aspects such as community dynamics that are crucial for creating liveable spaces that contribute to higher levels of social cohesion, and improving the overall well-being of communities.

Green finance is getting greater attention in Sri Lanka, as banks and finance companies see it as a new area for lending, and the number of potential projects that need finance keep growing. CSF collaborated with Biodiversity Sri Lanka to better understand what this space is like right now. We surveyed 20 financial institutions to understand multiple aspects of their engagement with green finance.

Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to climate risks, with heat, sea level rise, floods, landslides, and droughts posing significant threats to its ecosystems, economy, and communities. Local drivers such as pollution and land management exacerbate these risks, impacting agriculture and food production, cities and infrastructure, water availability, local biodiversity, and human health and well-being. This document consolidates key datapoints on climate risks and its socio-economic and environmental impacts, offering a useful source of reference for diverse stakeholders.

Several pioneering businesses in Sri Lanka are addressing waste management challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions, and their business models demonstrate circular economy approaches. The Centre for a Smart Future (CSF) identified three such businesses and explored their entrepreneurial journeys and business models. Each of the case studies exemplify a unique approach to managing waste and provides learnings relevant to waste management strategies in the country. Their narratives are also indicative of gaps and opportunities for policy change that would foster entrepreneurship and innovation.

Colombo Urban Lab's latest report "Built on Sand: A Review of Colombo’s Urban Regeneration Project" does a deep dive into one of Sri Lanka's key post-war infrastructure projects - the Urban Regeneration Project by the Urban Development Authority. This report covers the dispossession and lived realities of the relocated communities in the high-rises, looks at the financing of the URP - including findings of Auditor General's reports, reports from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and other publicly available material, and the status of the 'liberated' lands in Colombo today.

Sri Lanka's next Parliament has many issues to contend with, but underpinning many of these is the looming threats to our nature and biodiversity. Elected members of Parliament at the forthcoming General Election need to understand what these issues are, and what priorities need to be tackled. CSF contributed to a document that is released today on selected critical environmental issues facing Sri Lanka, aimed at informing prospective legislators in our next Parliament.