The Guru's Reflections:11th blog

The past three months I have written various blogs about urban spaces: process and changes. The experiences of writing blogs has increase my intellect and I have decided to continue the blog and show not only Urban Geography but other issues of Geography. I was told always to think outside the box and this is what I did, but also use traditional ideas and data to help compile the blogs.

Port of Spain

The three blog I chose to reflect on are: Urban sprawl in Trinidad, http://urbansprawl1.blogspot.com/, Urban geography: The distributions of wealth in the capital city, http://urbangeo9863.blogspot.com/ and Urban transformation in Tunapuna, http://urbanscene2.blogspot.com/. 
Each blog is link to urban changes from the past to the future, what they reflected were processes of change which the ordinary man and woman may not have known. These blogs I hope future generations can read and use some the ideas to their advantage. 

 Urban sprawl in Trinidad by Neisah smith

Ms. Smith blog was informative and more in depth with selecting an area on urban sprawl, I commented on her use of maps to show the Northern range area of Mount St Benedict and the effects of poverty as a reason to the movement.

Urban geography: The distributions of wealth in the capital city

Ms. Isidore blog showed city economy from a different perspective it was more for the ordinary vs. the wealth and what affected them in the city of Port of Spain. 

Urban transformation in Tunapuna

The second blog I posted was on Tunapuna changes from a village to urban town. Ms. Ryan did an excellent job by looking more in to Tunapuna from bottom up while I choose top down approach. Maybe i should have done both ways but i was studying the change more than how it was build.

New urbanism: Trincity and Trinidad and Tobago's revolution

Town house of Trincity community 

Definitions

1. An international movement concerned with tackling the urban problems associated with urban sprawl and car dependency (Collins English Dictionary).
2. New urbanism stems from the belief in the ability of the built environment to create a sense of community. It therefore embraces ideas of regionalism, sustainable development, affordable housing, environmental justice, communitarianism and anti-sprawl (Fainstein, 2000).
3. Utopia is a community or society possessing highly desirable or perfect qualities

New urbanism is an American urban design which spread in the global north and south. The new conception was introduced to Trinidad and Tobago by the Trincity Millennium Vision to reduce urban sprawl in Port of Spain. It reduced the burden and reliance of Port of Spain as a shopping centre, community and commercial hub. The main development plans were to create a livable mixture of new urban communities of small towns and neighborhoods where people could work, live and recreate. Trincity's new urbanism is a mixture ordinary communities with gated communities. New urbanism ‘s marketability encourages future home owners to buy, their brochures advertised  great homes, security and a safe environment to raise a family.

The future of new urbanism in Trinidad and Tobago.

If the ideas of Corbusier: top down approach and Jane Jacobs bottom up approach are applied to the construction of new cities then the possibilities are endless. Should the governments and the private investors choose to use one of these theories? This would lead Trinidad and Tobago to choose the theory which best suit them and the people they want to market their products to. If they chose Jane Jacobs' theory then they would have to use the four principles.

Jane Jacobs' four principles of  good neighborhoods include mixed use, mixed blocks with building of different ages and condition, conventional streets with short blocks and numerous corners and a dense concentration of people, all to encourage a lively and diverse community (Hall and Barrett 2011:141)

Finally the future of new urbanism is the gated community (Carceral). The gated communities are a result of people looking for safety and privacy by giving up pubic communities to become isolates, being an isolate may be difficult to some as they need to adjust to. The people who live in gated communities are ordinary people and they seem happy, so there can be speculation but I cannot compare their lives but I can compare the communities from an outside perceptive. The trend in Trinidad and Tobago is an increase in ordinary communities who convert to gated communities. The trend is simple build high wall ,police the community with private guards, neighborhood watch and rules which govern the community like it was a state and 'presto' an almost perfect community (Utopia).   

  

Corbusier's idea of housing tall apartments

Bayside Towers

A mansion being built.

Reference 

Fainstein, S. 2000. New direction in planning theory . Urban affairs review 35(4),451-478.

Hall , T and Barrett, H. 2011, Urban Geography. Routledge, New York

Urban Pollution: Trinidad and Tobago's dark side

Are cities a threat to the environment?

Cities are major contributors to global environmental problems such as pollution, resources depletion and land intake (Hall and Barrett 2011:306). The environmental problems generated by urban areas are photochemical  smog, burning of trash, contamination of soil and water ways and widespread littering. As many city-dwellers are disconnected from the natural world, it has even been suggested that a new species “homo urbanus” is emerging (http://www.uep2010.com). Developing countries, such as Trinidad, have to balance urban development and sustainability of the environment. To overcome these problems, Trinidad must start small by employing the three R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

The mentality 

This blog highlights the problems of urban pollution and its increasing problems. Walking in urban Trinidad, you are likely to see trash or a dirty drain. These sites pose a health threat not only to the community, but also to wild life. There are some who cherish their space and clean up and dispose the garbage the right way, but there are some are reckless individuals who see it as someone else’s problem. For the pass two year,  I have seen people thrown litter out of their vehicles and drop garbage on the street when there are just meters away from a bin. According from the folks from the rural areas, (central and south) they say it is an urban (Northern Trinidad) lifestyle to randomly dump garbage. I was told a story by a local who said he is tired of the pollution, he said he was walking through Port of Spain and saw an old television in a drain and he was surprise it stood there for weeks.

Eutrophication occurring in a drain.

Blocked drain along Priority Bus Route 

Car exhaust a source of photo chemical smog

A drain leading to an urban stream full of grease and garbage

Changes in urban pollution

Student of the University of The West Indies, St Augustine campus take part in the recycling of plastics, glass and metal containers. To change the mentality of a country, you must start at the grassroots: this shows the youth how important it is to keep the environment clean and to be responsible for their actions.

Recycling in UWI

The importance of green spaces.

Urban green spaces the lungs of Port of Spain

Woodford Square park.

  
 Urban green spaces are important for the sustainability of a city as they recuperate the city's aesthetics and encourage increasing biodiversity. This is a recognition that plants play a role in 'moderating the impact of human activities ' in cities by absorbing emissions (Haughton and Hunter 1994:118). Green spaces can be small gardens, rooftop gardens, parks, sports fields, lakes and savannas/pastures. Port of Spain has multiple green spaces such as Woodford Square and Queen's Park Savannah. Woodford Square is a small park located in the central business district of Port of Spain. It is important to Trinidad and Tobago’s political history as it was the heartbeat of the independence movement.  The Queen's Park Savannah is Port of Spain’s largest open space and park; it also has the record as being the largest roundabout in the world. The Savannah, as the locals call it, covers 260 acres and a perimeter of 3.5 km. various sporting and recreational events are held there; the main recreational event is the viewing of the bands on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

Woodford Square information board 

The benefits of urban green spaces.

• Recreational
• Reading
• Walking dogs
• Play parks
• Growing food
• Raise property values
• Community gatherings
• Town-hall meetings
• Visual assets
• Clean air
• Carbon sink
• History

 Ecological benefits 

1. The green spaces reduce the urban heat island effect where buildings, asphalt, and concrete absorb solar radiation and then remit it as heat. Reducing air temperature of the city could save the electricity bill use for air conditions.
2. Plants absorb carbon dioxide which is produced when humans breathe out and exhaust from vehicles, the more tress the more oxygen and clean air.  
3. Green spaces and their inhabitants is a good indicator of overall ecological health of the ecosystem. This is an important measure in judging the ecological sustainability of the community.

LRC Greens ,UWI St. Augustine campus.

Queen's Park Savannah, with Port of Spain in the background.

Social benefits

1. Provides recreational use: a place to play, meditate, gather, or rest.
2. Green spaces give a sense of social place, allow one to gain social recognition, enhance feelings of family kinship and solidarity, and in general allow users to feel free and independent.
3. Green spaces introduce the natural into the urban environment.
4. Green spaces foster a connection between community residents and the natural environment that surrounds them, thus allowing for a more livable city. This is essential in order for a community to be sustainable.

Reference 

Haughton, G and Hunter, C.1994 Sustainable Cities, London: Routledge

Transport and mobility

Transportation to and from the city and surrounding areas.

The problem.

Trinidad and Tobago has a population of 1.35 million people and over approximately 3 million vehicles. Every day, new vehicles are being placed on to the busy roads and increasing the congestion in the urban Trinidad. When travelling to Port of Spain or to Tunapuna by car or mass transit, there is heavy traffic on the highway and on Eastern Main Road. These two congested major roads have made the government to take the decision to construct flyovers to ease the busyness on the roads; however, the constructions of flyovers are very expensive and take time.

The strategic plan and route that works.

Priority Bus Route PBR

The Priority Bus Route, I think, it is one of the greatest planned routes in the Caribbean; the creation of the route was made by using the old railroad track route which went from Port of Spain to Arima. This eased burden for those who did not own a car and those who preferred to use the mass transit. The route was originally supposed to be used by the government buses, but has since expanded to allow as time private maxis. 

The introduction of articulated buses was intended to transport more passengers than the conventional bus and maxi. These articulated buses   also save fuel and reduce the number of buses on the road, while still maintaining a sizeable passenger capacity. Despite its success, the system can be further modified to improve mass transit. Some suggestions include:  increase the use of articulate buses, park and ride system and rail mass transit. Firstly, the use of the bus is a growing movement in Trinidad, not only does it get you to and from destinations but it is reliable. Secondly, the use of park and ride is great an example found in Barbados, the owners of cars would park their cars in a protected car park and travel to Bridgetown on a bus. If this idea is used then this would reduce the amount of cars in Port of Spain during rush hour. Finally, we must realize that Trinidad is not yet ready to use rail mass transit. Although it is a great idea, the cost and energy would turn away investors.

Churchill Roosevelt Highway

 Mobility in Port of Spain

BMX Bicycle

The bicycle is one of the great inventions of mobility. I t may be old fashioned, but it is more reliable than many new transport technologies. The use of a bicycle in a city would allow the flexibility of reducing spaces and using an eco-friendly transport. Although using a bicycle is dangerous, it would allow the user access to areas a car cannot not go. Compared to the larger cities, Port of Spain is small and it is a good place to use a bicycle in the city limits. Finally, Port of Spain is primarily a pedestrian city, due to its narrow streets and heavy pedestrian traffic. . Owing to the increase of traffic in Port of Spain, I ponder the fact that people will get tired of the traffic and use the mass transit or even buy more bicycles.

Urban Architecture : Colonial, Modern and Postmodern designs

Trinidad and Tobago's present urban architectural designs reflect a range of combination from majestic colonial buildings to modern and postmodern designs. The selected photos showcase the beautiful aesthetic in keeping with engrafting older designs into new buildings. This blog will educate some of the readers and stimulate their minds on the beauty of hybridize cities. It also looks at ideas proposed by well-known designer/architect Corbusier. 

Definition of architecture.

1. Architecture the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings: Oxford dictionary. 
2. Architecture is both the process and product of planing, designing and construction.

Colonial Urban Architecture

 Holy Trinity Cathedral

Old Administration building University of the West Indies St.Augustine

Port of Spain light house

These images show colonial architecture buildings which are popular landmarks of Port of Spain - Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Port of Spain lighthouse and the Old Administrative building, University of the West Indies St. Augustine. Each adds to Port of Spain’s unique skyline. The first time I saw these buildings, I was marveled at their excellent architecture. I was especially astonished at the Cathedral’s design because it reminded me of a cathedral in Europe. I have been to several Caribbean islands and have seen similar designs, but Holy Trinity Cathedral is quite unique in its design.

During colonialism, European nations spread their classic and Gothic styles to the colonies and vice versa the colonies designs spread to Europe. The spread increased the number of replicated buildings designs in Caribbean cities. Owing to each city colonial country, there are particular architectural styles that characterize each city. For instance, Port of Spain’s buildings reflect its Spanish, French and British history and many buildings reflect aspects of these colonial heritages. Although some were modified over time, evidence of their tripartite heritage is obvious and lends an idiosyncratic touch.

Corbusier

Corbusier was a French architect from the 19th and 20th century. He developed two key visions - the contemporary city (1922) and the radiant city (1933). Through these designs, Corbusier found a solution to the disorganized city. He wanted to decongest cities by increasing their densities and increasing open spaces. He argued for  the demolition of existing cities in order to rebuild on a clear sites and erecting modern high rise buildings which used the latest building technology and had wide boulevards to accommodate traffic (Hall and Barrett. 2011: 137). His modernist design thinking was to decontextualize the city by starting a city from a clean state without any sense of history. His vision was realized after World War Two, when some of Europe's historical city buildings were damaged or destroyed and had to be razed for rebuilding. Corbusier’s architectural vision could not work for the historical city of Port of Spain because of the projected economic cost and the loss of culture. Port of Spain is unique city and I am sure all Trinidadians and Tobagonians would prefer it to remain that way.  

Modern Architecture

The modern architecture of Port of Spain ranges from   weird, to simple, to beautiful; each has a purpose and a place. Modern architecture, led to its widespread adoption for commercial development and mass housing schemes using international styles. This may lead to some claims that many urban landscapes are becoming very similar, particularly in the commercial centers of cities, or 'placeless'(Relph 1987). This “placelessness” erases most of the idiosyncrasies of individual cites as it reduces cities to carbon copies of each other.  

  

Post Modern Architecture 

Daaga Auditorium UWI St. Augustine Campus

Bayside towers

NAPA

Postmodern architecture is a growing movement used by architects to create and use past styles and inspiration buildings. Communities, building and monuments with postmodern designs have futuristic looks such as: lunar, animal and plant shapes and a mixture of Asian and European styles. The Bayside Towers is a residential building which borrowed the idea of a ‘twin tower’ Corbusier style. The National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) is another  postmodern designs found in Port of Spain; it was recently built and drew the attention of people as it is a copy of the Sydney Opera House. Finally, a comparison of some of the postmodern architectures from the globe with Port of Spain’s, reveals many similarities but, over time the newer buildings change the look of the skyline and cause the evolution of Port of Spain’s urban designs.

Reference 


Relph,E (1987)The Modern Urban Landscape, Baltimore, MD John Hopkins University press.


Hall and Barrett(2011)Urban Geography, New York, Routledge.

Urban Culture: Carnival

Urban Culture:  Trinidad and Tobago's carnival the ultimate urban party of Port of Spain.

Carnival bands and trucks traversing  a main street

Introduction

Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival is one of the many urban carnivals found in the western hemisphere which occurs before the start of Lent on the Christian calendar. In Trinidad and Tobago, carnival is a two day event: Carnival Monday and Tuesday. On both days, the capital’s streets and urban spaces are awash with a sea of revelers and spectators of nonstop partying and engaging in a variety of cultural activities.

Conservative and colourful  costumes

Urban Culture

Culture is a complex and multifaceted, meaning different things in different contexts (Hall and Barrett 2011: 165). The urban spaces has always had a source of culture, some of these culture may be taken from other places and modified to suite the city. Some geographers separated urban geography from culture and call it cultural geography, but if it is found in the urban spaces is not it urban culture? Undoubtedly culture, in its many forms, is becoming more central to the shaping of the city economically, politically, socially and materially. (Hall and Barrett 2011: 183). Carnival is a vital aspect of Port of Spain’s urban culture. During carnival, it seems as if the entire country is participating in Mass., The main streets of Port of Spain a closed off, \ and they become accessible only to pedestrian traffic. On Carnival Tuesday, the central business district (CBD) is transformed into a party space, and the streets are filled with people dancing, loud music, confetti, beads, feathers and litter.

Spectators watching a band pass

Multiple sound crew personnel

The Indians are coming.

Conclusion

A city's culture is defined by its history and the local beliefs, every year; new urban cultures are created and join the ranks of a city’s unique cultural offering. Using Port of Spain as the Caribbean’s urban playground sets a postcard background which showcases the culture, people and architecture of the capital. Additionally, it also provides increased international tourism advertisement. The experience of participating in carnival reminds me of the city of Curitiba, Brazil. In Curitiba, owing to the introduction of children painting in the street, the city closed off the streets to make a pedestrian boulevard, which in turn created an urban culture which is vital to its culture. Curitiba’s attitude to children’s art shows that not only cars can rule the street, but pedestrians can also have their day in the streets. Finally, those who have not seen a carnival are missing out on a wonderful experience of urban lifestyles and cultures.

Reference
Hall and Barrett, (2011) Urban Geography London: Routledge. Page 165 and 183.

Globalization: Port of Spain's Economic Strength

The Central Bank "Twin towers" of Port of Spain

Economic Globalization in Trinidad: The city economy of Port of Spain

Economy

Trinidad and Tobago has one of the strongest economies in the Caribbean, The twin- island republic boast of its great wealth founded on the petroleum, natural gas and manufacturing sector. Port of Spain is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and has attracted hundreds of workers from all over the world and international companies. With globalization growing in the Caribbean , Port of Spain is one of the leading cities who has invested and been invested into multinational companies such as BP, Repsol and Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, and various fast food chains like KFC, Subway and Pizza Hut .

The international and local companies found in the city

List of Global Fast food Chains In Port of Spain

 

Globalization definition

The increasing worldwide interdependence of most economies, integrated financial markets, the outsourcing of the production of components throughout the world, the growing importance of transnational firms, and the linking of many service activities through the new information and communication technologies are part of its urban characterization  (Lipsey &Chrystal 2011).

View of Port of Spain CBD and Water front from the ferry.

Analysis of globalization with in Trinidad and Tobago

Although globalization has brought about many positive changes, some countries cannot catch up with rapid developments and changing economic procedures it engenders. As a result, their cities' economies become stagnant and experience recessions which forces the rebuilding of their economies. Unlike many other cities, the recession of 2008 has had a very limited negative impact on the economy of Port of Spain.  The city's economic resilience is reflective of Trinidad and Tobago's overall economic power. 

            Countries that are progressing are recognized by majority of developing and developed countries. Port of Spain economy is strong however; it is not as versatile as other cities because it depends heavily on the Oil/Energy sector. The world economy is not infallible for all; developed countries tend to flex their economic muscle as a   tactic to gain control over debt-burdened cities. Fortunately, Port of Spain has been able to avoid this pitfall.

"Laventille and Beetham" Trinidad and Tobago's Carceral Neighborhoods

Is it Lost or Forgotten ? 

Beetham Gardens with the high wall.

House on hill of San Juan/Laventille.

 Laventille and Beetham Gardens

Laventille and Beetham are the poor communities (slums) of Port of Spain’s hinterland. Their growth can be attributed to wide spread squatting, increases in population, the rural-urban drift and illegal immigrants migrating close to these areas seeking jobs and homes. Laventille is the result of urban sprawl on the hills surrounding Port of Spain, it is considered an eye sore to many citizens; for others, and it is home. The problems affecting Laventille and Beetham occur from criminal activities, poor housing, ridiculous town planning and poor social services (water, sewage treatment, health and solid waste removal).

           Beetham was formerly called"Rat town", because of the ugly state of poverty and poor housing in the early 1900 to 1990. In 2008, the Trinidad and Tobago government built a four foot (1.2m) high wall around the Beetham Gardens. They claimed that it was built to protect the Beetham’s residents from traffic and traffic noise of the highway. However, many saw this as a way of attempting to contain the people and the criminal activities within the community.

Random lot Beetham

Beetham wall

Warnings

Before I came to the University, I heard horrific stories about Laventille and the Beetham. On arriving, I also heard warnings from local authorities’, government officials and locals who lived in and near the neighborhood. Primarily, these stories and warnings were in reference to murders, drugs trafficking and the crime situations. In 2011, a state of emergency was placed on Trinidad and Laventille and the Beetham were two of the primary areas which were targeted by the authorities in their attempts curve crime.  Based on this it is reasonable to define both Laventille and Beetham Gardens as Carceral urban areas.

What is a Carceral urbanism?

Carceral comes from a Latin word cancer meaning prison; it is used in the case of city to imply where a city’s physical boundaries are used to control urban spaces. In these 'public' spaces, the loitering is discouraged and barricades of various forms can prevent people from entering or pass through. (Hall and Barrett 2011)

Beetham on the way to Port of Spain

Beetham Crix "lol'

Carceral urbanism

 There are two types of Carceral urbanism: gated communities or new-urbanism; and slums/ghettos. Carceral urbanism in poor communities often results from people taking the law into their hands and protecting their own through types of community justice. The gangs which exist in both communities engage in fierce gang wars, over territory, drugs, money; often, many   residents become prisoners in their homes. Unfortunately, gang posts, road blocks, continuous police presence and daily surveillances by military helicopters have become an everyday occurrence.  Hall and Barrett, argue that public gatherings and the traversing of strangers or rival gangs to the areas should be discouraged. They suggest that barricades of various forms may prevent people from entering or leaving and thereby achieve some degree of stability

How to reduce Carceral urbanism.

•  Provide housing for those who are easily affected by poverty.
• Removals of all walls and reduce check stops. An example of a removal of a wall in history (The Berlin wall
• Create parks with the idle lands to reduces the squatting
• Provide basic services to the neighborhoods.
• Provide community development
• Increase police presents

The negative and positive news from various News stations and papers in Trinidad and Tobago.

Negative

1. http://guardian.co.tt/news/2012-12-01/39-arrested-beetham-and-grande-roadblocks
2. http://guardian.co.tt/news/2013-01-26/schoolboy-shot-face-beetham-attack.
3. http://www.stabroeknews.com/2013/news/regional/03/05/laventille-houses-torched-in-tt-gang-warfare/.

Positives

1. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Beetham_youth_pick_up_cameras__drop_guns-169864116.html
2. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/featured-news/Laventille_rejoices_over__Athalia_s_return-167400235.html

Conclusion

The problem of city slums and their carceral urbanism is not to be blamed only on the government as the citizens play an integral role in determining issues of governance. Civil society should seek ways to engage the government on discussions about improving the quality of life for its populace in general. In the future, I would like to see both communities have their perception of slums changed to good communities and become a growing urban center of culture and art.

.

The evolution of "TUNAPUNA" village to urban Town. 

The town of Tunapuna is located between St Augustine, and Tacarigua on the East/West Corridor in Trinidad. It is one of the largest towns between San Juan and Arima it is an important market and commercial center. 

Tunapuna is a transition town which has seen an evolution from a village to a city over hard economic times. With two of the main traffic arteries -the Eastern Main Road and the Priority Bus Route - traversing through the town, it changed from simple sub-urban space to an urban space/commercial town. Walking along the roads or driving in a maxi you will see the once predominantly residential town gradually changing to a commercial and a mixed residential center.

Being a transition town, Tunapuna is one of the more important towns of Northern Trinidad. The main road is full of businesses (commercial and services) with few residential buildings (houses and apartments). The buildings are a mixture of postmodern and late 1930 architectural styles and show the rich history of Tunapuna.

Tunapuna market

A minor road in Tunapuna , in the background Mount St Benedict

Tunapuna is a fast developing heterogeneous development of fringe belts and transition zones, urban center zones and general urban zones. The general urban zone is made of a mixture of residential homes, churches, recreation parks, midsize commercial businesses, schools and a hospital. The urban center zone of Tunapuna is dense and compact. As a result, there is little room for horizontal expansion, hence many of the buildings are multi-stories. Tunapuna’s eastern side is the commercial hub; there are hundreds of small shops selling wide variety of items, services companies (banks, insurance companies and barbershops), fast food restaurants (Roti shops, Burger King and KFC) which are strategically position outside the market house). Tunapuna’s urban center zone is found where most of the buildings are modern, frequent traffic congestion, busy sidewalks and stores and indicate where most of the money is spent.

Mixture of small variety stores

Recently constructed Burger king in Commercial Tunapuna

A family owned house and business.

Salvation Army church next to the Tunapuna market

Tunapuna’s future is clear: the change of the city’s economy over the decade is positive. This attitude of development may relieve stress from the capital Port of Spain and spread wealth. If this is true, then other small towns will likewise improve their statuses.