Macro analysis

0

Figure 1.2.1M

OVERVIEW

Malé is the capital of the Maldives and the heart of the Greater Malé Region, in Kaafu Atoll. It is the country’s centre of government, trade and culture. Bridges link it to Hulhulé and Hulhumalé, and ferries to the islands around it. With little land and many people, Malé has grown upward and inward, using every space it has.

KEY POINT

Malé, a collage by the Malé group.

Malé is the hub of the Greater Malé Region: most of its work, schooling, healthcare and trade happen here.

Malé holds most of the region’s jobs, schools, hospitals and shops. Hulhumalé gives it room to grow, and Villimalé is quieter and mainly a place to live. Both still depend on Malé every day: Malé at the centre, Hulhumalé its growing extension, Villimalé a place to live and unwind.

N

LAND AREA (HA)

208.03 ha

DENSITY (PERSONS/HA)

660

DISTANCE FROM MALÉ (KM)

0 km

DOMINANT LAND USE

Residential

Table 1.2.1M

LOCATION AND ROLE IN THE REGION

Figure 1.2.2M

Sources

Malé at a glance. Census 2022, Maldives Bureau of Statistics.

Malé to Hulhumalé

Travel time: 10 to 15 min

Malé to Villimalé

Travel time: 5 to 7 min

Malé’s place and role in the Greater Malé Region.

Rethink Malé; Census 2022, Maldives Bureau of Statistics; Google Maps.

Greater Malé Region

POPULATION (YEAR)

137,238 (2022)

HOUSEHOLDS

42,571

ROLE IN THE REGION

National capital: government and economic centre

MAIN ACCESS

Road, ferry and sea

Malé is the centre the other islands turn around. People cross between the islands every day, so the region works as one city, not separate settlements. With no land left to grow on, Malé spreads its homes and services to the islands nearby, and stays at the centre.

Historical timeline

Before 1153

A settled trading island, its four wards named by Giraavaru fishermen.

1888

2,148 people live on less than a square mile of coral stone.

1925–27

Shamsuddeen III pulls down forts and walls, widens roads and clears graves for housing.

1963–68

Monarchy abolished. Palace, forts, bastions come down. Only the National Museum and Friday Mosque survive.

1970s–80s

Population triples: 11,453 to 29,522. Landfill and reef mining for construction strip the island’s defences.

Figure 1.3.1M

1990

Villimalé settled

Malé’s history, from before 1153 to 2026. Compiled by the Malé group from Wikipedia.

1997

Reclamation of Hulhumalé begins on 16 October. Malé’s growth moves to a new island.

2002

Seawalls close all four coasts after the 1987 swell. Concrete replaces mined reef.

2005

Hulhumalé settled

2026

212,138 people in Malé City. The Thilamalé bridge opens, linking Malé to Hulhumalé and Villimalé.

Spatial history and landmarks

Figure 1.3.2M

LANDMARKS

Malé’s outline, 1960 to 2015 (one line per card), and its landmarks. 2015 projected from the 2014 census.

Hukuru Miskiy

Mulee’aage

National Museum

Medhu Ziyaaraiy

Sultan Park

Jumhooree Maidhaan

Parliament

North Harbour

Rasfannu

Usfasgandu

Artificial Beach

Maldives National Stadium

Maafannu Stadium

IGMH

ADK

T-Jetty

Lonuziyaaraiy Park

Thaajuddeen School

Hiriya School

Maafannu Madharusaa

Dharumavantha School

Aminiya School

Iskandhar School

Jamaluddin School

1960

82

Land area 112.23 ha

Population ~9,250

1979

227

Land area 129.82 ha

Population 29,520

1986

257

Land area 180.05 ha

Population ~46,330

1999

385

Land area 192.25 ha

Population ~74,070

2015

745

Land area 206.67 ha Population ~153,900

Significant locations

Mulee’aage was built between 1914 and 1919 for Prince Hassan Izzuddeen, and later became the official presidential residence.

Figures 1.3.3M to 1.3.6MFour significant locations. Illustrations by the Malé group.

Hukuru Miskiy, the Old Friday Mosque, was built in the 17th century from finely carved coral stone. It is one of Malé’s most important landmarks.

Sultan Park stands on the grounds of the old royal palace. It marks the change from monarchy to republic, and hosts national celebrations.

Jumhooree Maidhaan, Republic Square, is Malé’s main civic space, used for national ceremonies and public celebrations.

Folk story: Rannamaari

Long ago, the people of Malé lived in fear.

From the sea came a monster called Rannamaari.

Your Majesty, the sea

demon demands another sacrifice.

Must I really

go?

Forgive us…

Rannamaari...!!

Must this horror continue every

month?

I am

afraid…

Figure 1.3.7M

We must not

anger it!

Stop. Let the

girl return

home.

You would do

that for me?

Folk story: Rannamaari. Comic by the Malé group.

We have no choice…

or so we believe.

Stranger, do you know what you

are saying?

I will go in her

place.

Put your trust in

God.

That night, the traveller stayed alone in the temple by the shore.

Morning has come!

He is alive!

Rannamaari became a story of fear, faith, and transformation in Malé.

(reciting Qur’an)

The truth is greater

than fear.

Teach us your faith.

I will.

The wind howled. The sea roared. But he did not flee.

The monster never returned.

Then… where is

Rannamaari?

And so, the story says, Malé changed forever.

Folk story: Koimala

Figure 1.3.8M

Folk story: Koimala. Comic by the Malé group.

Environment map

Figure 1.4.1M

Atoll waves

S.W Current

S.W Swell

S.W Wind

Sun path

Vegetation

Environment map of Malé: the sun’s path, winds, swells and currents. Source: Rethink Malé; Google Maps.

S.W Swell

S.W Swell

Wind

Deep sea waves

Swells

Waves

N.E Wind

Tidal current

N.E Swell

N.E Current

Surf spot

N.E Swell

Surf spot

Risk map

Figure 1.4.2M

WHAT THE MAP SHOWS

The risk map sets the hazards found on site against the forces in the environment map above: swells and currents in both monsoons, the north-east and south-west winds, and the sun’s path across the island.

Risk map of Malé. Source: Rethink Malé; Google Maps.

Soil erosion area

Sewage outfall

Wave and swell risk

Recorded fire incidents

Flood

Most prone

Least prone

Population pyramid

75+

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

0-4

Figure 1.5.1M

WHO LIVES HERE

Malé is young and working-age. Of about 137,000 residents, 68% are aged 15 to 64, 27% are under 15 and only 5% are 65 or over.

TOTAL POPULATION GROWTH

2000 to 2022

+83%

From 75,000 to 137,238 people

9,000

6,000

Maldivian men

Estimated residents by age, sex and nationality, 2026 (Malé group’s estimate). Source: Census 2022, Maldives Bureau of Statistics.

3,000

Maldivian women

AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH

2000 to 2022

+2.8%

A year

MEN

WOMEN

0

3,000

Men outnumber women at every working age. About one resident in five is not Maldivian, and most foreign residents are men of working age.

6,000

Foreign residents

MALDIVIANS

2026

60,400

Men

46,900

Women

9,000

FOREIGN RESIDENTS

2026

16,800

Men

12,900

Women

Population growth

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

Figure 1.5.2M

WHERE THE NUMBER IS HEADING

Malé’s population almost doubled in two decades, from about 75,000 in 2000 to 137,238 in 2022, on land that grew by only 8%. Of the three groups, foreign residents grew fastest.

PROJECTED POPULATION

2050 (estimate)

216,000

+57% on the 2022 census

0

2000

2009

Men

Residents of Malé, 2000 to 2050: counted to 2022, projected after (Malé group’s estimate). Source: Census 2022, Maldives Bureau of Statistics.

2019

Women

Foreign residents

POPULATION DENSITY

2000 to 2022

390 → 660

People per hectare

Census 2022 projected after

2022

The group’s projection has Malé reaching about 216,000 people by 2050. With little land left, that growth means more people on every hectare, or more people moving to Hulhumalé and Villimalé.

2035

2043

HOUSEHOLDS

2022

42,571

About 3.2 people each

69,300

66,400

61,600

2050

Land use plan

Figure 1.6.1M

Transportation

4.7% · 9.6 ha

Revetment and groynes

1.4% · 2.9 ha

Industrial

Commercial

1.6% · 3.3 ha

3.2% · 6.5 ha

Land use plan of Malé: the share of the 204 ha of available land in each use. Source: Rethink Malé; Google Maps.

Utility and municipal services

4.4% · 9.0 ha

Sports and recreation

7.0% · 14.3 ha

Institutional and community

14.1% · 28.7 ha

Parks and open spaces

3.0% · 6.1 ha

Public housing

Commercial housing

0.5% · 1.0 ha

0.3% · 0.6 ha

Roads

Tourism

16.9% · 34.5 ha

0.2% · 0.4 ha

Residential

42.7% · 87.1 ha

Highest land use

Figure 1.6.2M

Malé’s land use plan is led by homes: residential use takes 42.7% of the available land, followed by roads (16.9%) and institutional and community facilities (14.1%). Sports and recreation (7.0%), transportation (4.7%) and utility and municipal services (4.4%) also hold notable shares.

Number of facilities

Figure 1.6.3M

Land use plan distribution: share of available land. Source: Rethink Malé.

Schools and education

44

School, preschool, educational facilities

Mosque

26

Religious facilities

Public facilities in Malé, by type. Source: Rethink Malé.

Residential

Roads

Institutional and community

Sports and recreation

Transportation

Utility and municipal services

Commercial

Health facilities

125

Health centre, clinic

Parks and open spaces

Public housing

Commercial housing

Industrial

Revetment and groynes

Tourism

Commercial use takes 3.2%, parks and open spaces 3.0%, industry 1.6%, revetments and groynes 1.4%, public housing 0.5%, commercial housing 0.3% and tourism 0.2%. Malé is a highly urbanised island where homes and roads dominate, and green, commercial and tourism space remains limited.

Police and public safety

05

Police station, security facility

Transport facilities

03

Ferry terminal, Wamco

Government

15

Council, government office

Solid and void

Figure 1.6.4M

The solid and void map shows Malé’s buildings in solid colour and its open ground in white. Most of the island is fine-grained: small plots, packed buildings and narrow lanes. Towards the south the grain is coarser, with larger plots and more open space between them.

Solid and void, with fine and coarse grain shown in detail. Source: Rethink Malé; Google Maps.

Fine grain

Coarse grain

Building heights

Lower-rise cluster

Mostly 1 to 3 storeys: a lower-rise pocket in Malé’s dense fabric.

Figure 1.6.5M

Building heights, in storeys. Source: Rethink Malé; Google Maps.

Higher-rise cluster

Mostly 4 to 6 storeys and more: a taller, more vertically dense part of the island.

6 storeys and more

4 to 5 storeys

2 to 3 storeys

1 storey

Not residential

Population density

Figure 1.6.6M

1

Small plots, subdivided over generations, built up to seven storeys and more. More than twice the people of area 2 live on each hectare.

1,450

PEOPLE / HA

Sources

Population density of Malé, by plot. Source: Rethink Malé; Google Maps.

Denser area

620

PLOT SIZE (SQFT)

Estimates for the two sample areas; to be confirmed with census figures.

1

7

STOREYS

2

Less dense area

2

Larger plots and more institutional land. Buildings are lower, and each hectare carries less than half the people of area 1.

640

PEOPLE / HA

Low

1,480

PLOT SIZE (SQFT)

High

5

STOREYS

Walkability

Figure 1.6.7M

Within Malé’s tight island fabric, almost every 400 m, five-minute walking radius contains a wide range of essential facilities. Any service beyond one radius is still just a short walk away along the narrow galis, keeping daily life accessible and close for everyone on the island.

Facilities within a 400 m, five-minute walk, across Malé. Source: Rethink Malé; Google Maps.

WITHIN A FIVE-MINUTE WALK

Harbour

Mosque

Football ground

Hulhumalé terminal

Island council

Hospital and pharmacy

Education facilities

Park

School and preschool

Police

Restaurant or café

400 m radius: a five- minute walk

Road hierarchy and circulation

Figure 1.7.1M

Road hierarchy and circulation in Malé. Source: Rethink Malé; Google Maps.

6 to 9 m pedestrian Under 3 m pedestrian Bus roads Bus stops

Types of roads

Boduthakurufaanu Magu (over 9 m)

Chaandhanee Magu (6 to 9 m)

Figure 1.7.2M

Number of vehicles

pavement

pav

prk

vl

prk

Three types of road, in section. pav pavement, vl vehicle lane, prk parking.

Car

6,470

vehicle lanes

Badifasgandu Magu (under 3 m)

pav

pav vl

Figure 1.7.3M

Vehicles in Malé, by type (Malé group’s figures).

Pickup

6,457

Boduthakurufaanu Magu is a wide road with two vehicle lanes and a pavement on each side. It carries heavy traffic and many people on foot.

pavement

Chaandhanee Magu is a medium-width road with one lane, roadside parking and pavements on both sides. Trees give some shade.

Badifasgandu Magu is very narrow, with room for little more than one vehicle. People walk at the road edge, and parked vehicles take what width is left.

prk

pav

Bus

18

Motorcycle

96,357

Pedestrian circulation issues and obstacles

2

Scaffolding and building materials block the pavement, pushing people onto the road beside moving traffic until the obstruction ends.

Pavements blocked by construction

1

Unsafe pedestrian crossings

Vehicles often do not slow down or stop at zebra crossings, so people cross with traffic moving close in front of and behind them.

3

Narrow streets

Some streets are barely wide enough for a car and have no pavement. People squeeze between vehicles and building walls.

4

Many routes have little or no shade, leaving people in strong sun and heat, most of all in the middle of the day.

6

Pipes along the roadside narrow the walking space, so people step around them, close to passing traffic.

Figures 1.7.4M to 1.7.9MSix obstacles to walking in Malé. Illustrations by the Malé group.

Lack of shade and heat exposure

Exposed utility pipes

5

Pavements restricted by parked vehicles

Vehicles park tight against the pavement edge, leaving less room to walk and no safe way to step off it.

Open space map

Figure 1.8.1M

Dense vegetated spaces Recreational open spaces Parks Mosques Schools Major activity nodes

Open space map of Malé. Source: Rethink Malé; Google Maps.

Notable open spaces

Artificial Beach

Figures 1.8.2M to 1.8.5MFour notable open spaces. Illustrations by the Malé group.

Open space per person

Figure 1.8.6M

10.5 ha of open space. Guide: 9 m² of green space per person (Kuchelmeister, 1998). Source: Rethink Malé.

NOW (CENSUS 2022)

0.77 m²

per person

137,238

Open space per person, 2022 and 2050 (estimate), from about

Lonuziyaaraiy Park

0.84 m

Rasfannu

PROJECTED WORST CASE BY 2050

0.49 m²

per person

216,000

Sultan Park

Malé has very little public open space for its people: about 0.77 m² each, against a guide of 9 m². Its parks, beaches and waterfronts are few and unevenly spread. If no space is added, the figure falls to about 0.49 m² by 2050.