A peak of Development in the City Region!

A peak of development in the city region!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above photos are hilltop views of the city of San Fernando, the bottom a picture taken at Chaguaramas portraying the development in the background view.

 

“There are fashions in building. Behind the fashions lie economic and technological reasons, and these fashions exclude all but a few genuinely different possibilities in city dwelling construction at any one time.” Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. This is the case in the San Fernando region, there are alot of new buildings being constructed all in the aim of providing economic and technological influences on the city. As in the case of Chaguramas the area is prone to tourism and is continuously being developed so as to better establish its purpose. I believe that we are who we are and the actions that we do everyday influence the way the city may be portrayed at a later date.

 

An aerial view of South Trinidad, potential area for development?

Trinidad as we know it today is a country that focuses on development "per say" but more on the Port of Spain "Urban area" and other major city dwellings. The picture above was taken by myself during a tour of Southern Trinidad on a helicopter a few months ago. This area represents a school isolated within a developing village of San Pedro the area in which I live. Living in this area we all are faced with isolation and the closest city to us is Rio Claro (Some 5-8Km away). I believe there is potential for development that would one day enhance the lives of many in my community and make the area a better place, one that could be of good quality housing and social facilities and enforces social mixing which would build a better community and place to live. “In great cities, spaces as well as places are designed and built: walking, witnessing, being in public, are as much part of the design and purpose as is being inside to eat, sleep, make shoes or love or music. The word citizen has to do with cities, and the ideal city is organized around citizenship -- around participation in public life.” Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking.

The picture above also illustrates the area but at a higher elivation level to show the settlement parterns in the area.

Development Sustainable or Not?

According to the Ministry of Planning And Development the 2011 population and housing census preliminary count has revealed that there are 1, 324,699 people living in Trinidad and Tobago. Compared to the last census which was conducted in 2000, the population’s figure was 1,262,366. This represents a 4.9 per cent increase in the population. This therefore calls for a bigger and brighter future in terms of sustainable development in Trinidad and Tobago.

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.(Bruntland Report 1987). There are three pillers to sustainable development these include economic and social development and environmental protection.

As a Small island Developing State (SIDS): our natural resources are limited and we are vulnerable to external environmental and economic shocks.Over the decades, our economic path to development has resulted in severe environmental degradationHowever the government recognises that all plans for national development must incorporate the concept of sustainability as it pertains to resource allocation and utilisation, in order to ensure equitable, long- term economic, social and environmental stability. The increase in population size calls for increases in jobs, health, education and an array of ammenities to combat the growing population size. Likewise the environment is a major concern as waste material increases in the general area of triidad. The following video expresses some of the issues and also addresses action with

                                                                                               respect to managing the situation, this is in  conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My City, My Town

My city, my town
The day u were birthed
No one regretted

My City
The glory of both the young and old
a site for everyone to behold

My city
A place of great edifices
a town with wonderful places

Four and two-legged machines
Fills this land unconditionally
A place of constant influx

Beautiful lush green grass
Filled the lawns at every corner
Bridges everywhere
as long as monumental caterpillars
Masts of every network
as tall as the Eiffel Tower of Paris,
A total amazement..

My city,
A beauty to uphold,
Now a story yet untold
My city, oh my town
You are losing your luster,
colour and radiance
That made humans of all race
want to advance, to seek solace

My city, My town
The land that brought memories
of neighborliness,
Everyone, together as of same parents

Awake from your slumber
Oh my great city, 'The Garden-City'
The crown princess of Rivers state
Why do you constantly hibernate?

Wake up
My city, my town,
Be like David,
Defeat this Goliath called GREED!
Show your feat
and make this enemy face the heat.



Edwina Aleme, (c) 2009

Edwina Aleme

TOWERS OF CONTROL AND HISTORY IN TRINIDAD

This photo shows the most outstanding towers of Trinidad from a distance, they stand tall and overlook the city and lay the foundation of the the nations history. In almost every photo these two identical 22-storey buildings are seen side by side. Construction on the towers began in 1979 and when they were completed in 1986 they were the tallest buildings in Trinidad and Tobago next door the Nicholas towers also stand tall as another mile stone of urban regeneration.

Architecture a New and Developing Feature in Trinidad!

Building a new and well developed future in Trinidad.
The city is the key to development and is where development on the whole actually takes place with time. The picture below illustrates the development of the city of San Fernando with the introduction of a new form of architecture that shows stability and portrays a status that we would hope to reach in Trinidad by 2020. It is this type of architectural designing that helps promote the future of the city, therefore applying the basis of designing would indeed go along way. Architecture plays a role in the home as well and this is demonstrated throughout Trinidad, this is represented by the second photo which illustrates a building at a far distant.

 "The weird thing about houses is that they almost always look like nothing is happening inside of them, even though they contain most of our lives. I wondered if that was sort of the point of architecture."John Green (The Fault in Our Stars)

The above picture illustrates the National Academy for Performing Arts (NAPA) located in Port of Spain

Keeping in mind that architecture (as a building form) was considered one of the key elements contributing to urban morphology, which reflected the spirit of the society that produced it (Conzen 1966).


http://www.ttia-architects.org/ At this site you can find the work that is being conducted presently with respect to Trinidad by many local and international architectures.

New developments in  Port of Spain!

The Waterfront (Majestic Center) was established in the year 2008.
This picture was taken in the late afternoon as the sun set reflected on the building.

The high and outstanding 300ft buildings that points through the sky in the city of Port of Spain  emerges as a beacon in the nations capital and transform the western shoreline into a majestic modern coastal facility with an array of defining features including retail spaces (car parks and an Auditorium as well.

Introduction

Urbanatic central is the place where you can find an array of old and new developing issues in the urban spaces of Trinidad. The major focus is on the character of the nations main urban city Port of Spain and also new developing major cities as well including San Fernando, Chaguanas etc. Port of Spain's official population is relatively small, and reflects the narrow city boundaries including the central business district and a number of economically depressed and a few upscale adjoining suburbs. In addition to the official population, the adjacent East-West corridor conurbation has a population close to 600,000 people and the "big city" feel with its suburban car dominated commuting. The oldest part of the city is the downtown area (colloquially referred to as "Town", and pronounced by Trinis similar to the word "tong"), between South Quay (to the south), Oxford Street (to the north), the St. Ann's River (to the east), and Richmond Street (to the west).

The art of the city........

"A city always contains more than any inhabitant can know, and a great city always makes the unknown and the possible spurs to the imagination."
― Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking