Port-of-Spain Field Trip

Port-of-Spain Field Excursion

March 22^nd, 2014

PART 1

ST. CLAIR

What do we like? What needs protecting? What would we like more of?

Security Systems observed in St. Clair   St. Clair is an upscale, affluent neighbourhood of North-West Port-of-Spain. This community is stepped in history (The Magnificent Seven) and also has the modern luxuries of wide roads, upscale shop restaurants, private clubs, schools and numerous parks.  On the residential side the atmosphere is very safe, serene and very green. Large homes are pushed back on enormous well-manicured lots. Both the commercial side and the residential side of the neighbourhood are very inviting.        The large trees and parks and remaining wildlife (Birds, iguanas etc.) need to be protected.        The community is surrounded by numerous parks (tennis court, cricket pitch, walking pathways etc.)  Yet, when we ask the users of the facilities if they resided in the St. Clair many did not.  More residents should utilise thecommunity areas which they have been allotted.

What don’t we Like?  What needs changing now?  What is getting worse?

The neighbourhood is exclusionist in character. It seems uninhabited by humans on the residential side. The community is not immune from litter and graffiti.  The litter problem became more apparent on the commercial side. Another refuse issue was the remaining bottles, cups and rejected pieces of carnival costumes. (In drains and sidewalks, two weeks after carnival). The litter problem raises questions about the cities oversight regarding carnival refuse.  One of the down sides of the community would be abandoned plots and derelict houses.  This is representative of wasted space and also encourages dumping of waste and unwanted occupation.

What needs to be improved?  E.g facilities for young people, parking, security

On the commercial side of the community parking problems are evident.  Solutions like park and shuttle may easy the situation.  The greater problem would be to encourage people who work and live within these neighbourhoods to walk, bike or travel instead of bringing their vehicles into the city.

(Conducting a placecheck of any one area PLUS BELMONT 2014)

BELMONT

What do we like? What needs protecting? What would we like more of?

Neslted in Belmont, Trinidad threatre workshop The community of Belmont is deeply embeddedand integrated in the history, culture and socio-economic heart of the city of Port-of-Spain.  The community today incorporates both commercial and residential space.  It is the cities first suburb. It is the birthplace of many carnival bands, bandleaders, calypso singers and many of the countries athletes. Today as you walk through the neighbourhoods there are many pan yards.(Casablanca, Belmont Symphony, Belmont City Kids, Dem Boys and many more.  There seems to still exist a tight knit community.  Neighbours not only greet each other, but actually know each other.(Names)  The socializing and community type living needs to be protected.  The few facilities that exist (pan yards, theatre) need to be preserved.

What don’t we Like?  What needs changing now?  What is getting worse?

Graffiti in Belmont Similar to St. Clair, litter is also a problem which is has been further exasperated by a regular waste disposal problem. Under many do not dump signs regular waste is piled high.  Many walls display graffiti expressions, some political and others gang related. The continued display of the symbols makes one very uneasy.  A more efficient waste removal system is needed.  Residents need to also take responsibility for their waste.  The removal of graffiti should be tackled.  The mentality that Belmont is criminal hot spot and cannot be changed.  Increased crime continues to plague the community.

What needs to be improved?  E.g facilities for young people, parking, security

There is a clear need for facilities for young people; parking is representative of some of the major problems in the community.  It was observed that many streets had unoccupied dilapidated homes and even empty lots which can be redevelopment for community purposes. The area is known for drugs and gang violence.  This type of behaviour must be challenged and stopped.

(Conducting a placecheck of any one area PLUS BELMONT 2014)

2. What distinguishes a ” good neighbourhoods”?

Jane Jacobs is a known twenty century urban critic.  In her seminal work, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, in her work she created principals of good neighbourhoods.(Jacobs 1961). The communities of St.Clair and Belmont will be assessed below according to Jane Jacobs’s principals of mixed use, mixed blocks, streets with short blocks and many corners and high density neighbourhoods.

Belmont, Port-of-Spain

The idea of mixed use has been partially incorporated within the communities of St. Clair and Belmont.   Jane Jacobs has expressed the view that “good neighbourhoods” should exhibit a blend of commercial and residential which functionally integrates the social. The observed communities do have thriving commercial and residential areas yet both neighbourhoods have not been able to integrate their social components.  In St. Clair for example, it close proximity to the city has reduced the distance between work (if you work in the city) and home. The communities’ history can be seen as different building types (colonial, modern, Brazilian) and ages do still exist. The streets are characterized by large roads with short blocks and multiple corners.  The communities’ commercial and residential areas have been integrated successfully.  Yet, on the other had this exclusionist upscale type neighbourhood does not encourage compact development. The common house type trends are mansions that sprawl out over two lots of land.  Also many business places are one-story or two story building. Affordable homes or lots are not realistic.  In this community the prices are exceptionally high. It has been observed that that the residents of St. Clair do not command a visual presence within their community.  Upon questioning patrons who were utilizing St. George the 5^th Park many were not from St.Clair.  In the area of community closeness and social integration I cannot say how successful the community of St. Clair fears.

A street in St.Clair

The community of Belmont like the community of St. Clair does exhibit some of Jane Jacobs principals of a “good neighbourhood”.  Many of the residents boost that they walk everywhere to work, to shop and even to recreate. They view most of their neighbourhood as ‘walkable’. Both homes and business are tightly place next to each other, this does not necessarily imply compact densities, for the major of homes and businesses are either one or two storey developments.  Indeed the principal of mixed blocks is evident.  New modern homes stand tall besides colonial gingerbread homes.  Though resides see view the neighbourhood as ‘walkable’, sidewalks are only evident on the major roads. (Belmont Circular Rd.) The streets can be described as numerous interconnecting pavement less wining lanes and unplanned networks.  However, it must be noted that the Belmont developed before the influx of cars to the island of Trinidad. Indeed, it has been observed that the Belmont community blatantly shows their communal strength. Yet, the community is plagued with crime which is indicative of a lack of proper intergration of the social component of the community's functioning.

3. What makes a successful residential neighbourhood?

A successful neighbourhood should incorporate everything from a good design, mixed use and elements that encourage interaction between residents.  Thus the ideal neighbourhood would exhibit a sense of place. It encompasses public spaces for example parks, boardwalks, community pool, and sidewalks.  Like Belmont its unique history and culture should stand out, the area should be rich in social capital.  (Steel pan heritage)  The community should be well connected to the inner city.  Access to public transport, commercial shops and services must be available.  The community should be green, picturesque and sustainable. Upon reflection of my list it seems to trend towards the theories of ‘New Urbanism’, ‘Smart Growth’ and ‘Sustainable Development’.  This trend is currently being included into many urban designs by planners.  The need to balance the economic with the social is therefore a reoccurring issue that many communities face, which will only be fixed through the absorption of the techniques of  sustainable development.

Bibliography

UN-Habitat. State of the World’s Cities: Globalization and Urban Culture. United Nations Human Settlements Programme; Nairobi, Kenya, 2004.

"Conducting a placecheck of any one area PLUS BELMONT." Port-of-Spain Field Excursion-URBAN GEOGRAPHY, DR. KISSOON. Port-of-Spain, 03 22, 2014.

Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, NY: Random House, 1961.

Gentrification

Is gentrification a good or bad thing?

Has the process of gentrification taken place in the districts of Woodbrook/Victoria?

Yes.

Is gentrification a good or bad thing?

Now it gets complicated.

Firstly let’s establish what is gentrification .

Gentrification occurs when wealthier people purchase or rent properties in low/middle income communities, they transforming these neighborhoods into “middle class residential and or commercial” zones. (Lees et al. 2008:xv.).  Gentrification has been linked to “economic processes, the role of human agency and consumer preferences”. (Hall 2012).

Gentrification = Movement

 The neighborhoods of Woodbrook/Victoria has been transforming mainly through human influence and consumer preferences. Researcher David Levy (1996) has linked the role of an emerging middle class to the growth of more service oriented businesses and cultural activities.  Some theorists have termed this emerging middle class as the new “creative class” (Florida 2004)(Hall2012).  These individuals choose to locate within these neighborhoods as they are drawn to the diversity and life of the city. 

 Woodbrook/Victoria was first planned as a working class suburb, by 1930 business started to emerge between residences.  By 1980’s private pioneer gentrifies or the ‘new middle class’ began opening pubs, restaurants, casino’s and ‘mas’ camps and other businesses in a very visual way. By 1990, service businesses and financial institutions began entering into the Woodbrook/Victoria districts backed by urban policies.  As seen in Table 1.

Table 1. Shows the, distribution of employment within the Woodbrook/Victoria district, between the years of 1970-1990. The table gives a clear indication and helps to explain the movement from a purely residential area to today’s mixed residential/commercial neighborhood. (Polese 1993)

TABLE 1:  Distribution of Employment (%) within the Woodbrook/Victoria districts, between the years of 1970-1990.

	FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS								BUSINESS SERVICES					TRAVEL SERVICES
Area	Commercial Banks				Holding Companies	Legal Services				Accounting			Advertising	Hotels		Airline Reservations
Woodbrook/ Victoria	1970
	-		-				-			-		-		0.6			-
	1981
	-		1.4				-			6.9		-		1.1
		1990
		12.96		-				6.99			14.7		10.3		1.41

                                                                                                     Source: Central Statistical Office of Trinidad and Tobago (Polese 1993)

This movement has both positive and negative effects on the resident population. On the positive side the area has experienced increased development and an increase in property values. However the  increase in property values,  has equated to a decline in affordable housing.  Butler and Lees (2006) indicate that “socio-economic divisions” usually increases alongside gentrification (Hall 2012). Indeed, “socio-economic divisions” do exist, to what extent it is caused by gentrification in Woodbrook/Victoria I am not sure.

I ask again, is gentrification good or bad thing?

In the neighborhood of Woodbrook/Victoria we are yet to see. Like Hoxton and Barnsbury London and Brooklyn in New York we wait, as we evolve with the hope of a better tomorrow.

Bibliography

Hall, Tim and Heather Barrett. "Urban Geography." 264. London and New York: Routledge, 2012.

Polese, Mario and Sylvain Menard. Is Downtown onthe way down? Documenting the movement of 

office activity in central Port-of-Spain. Research Paper, Montreal: Montreal Interuniversity Group, 1993.