The Historic City Center of Galle is unique and still the best preserved fortified city of the colonial period in South and Southeast Asia. It will be preserved as a living monument, permitting the residents to live a contemporary life style while preserving the atmosphere, the scale, and the streetscapes of the original monument. The rampart walls will be presented to the visitor after careful documentation and restoration. Residential buildings make up to 50% of the buildings within the fort. The ultimate preservation of the streetscape is of utmost importance, and it will be necessary to educate the residents in the value of this patrimony and to advise them on the correct methodology for intervention. As maintenance and restoration of the old building fabric is expensive, a tax incentive package will be introduced. For institutional and religious buildings, any expansion or change of use will be limited to the present boundaries and scale. Open spaces, landscaping and roads will be maintained at all costs. The unique drainage system will be repaired and the windmill reintroduced. All essential services will be carried in special underground ducts to minimize visual pollution. Street lighting will be based on period models.