My classmate, Vanessa Boodoo's blog was very interesting to me, as it is gives a different perspective to what I was speaking about in my blog. Vanessa looked at the other side of the city, behind all the skyscrapers and the flashing lights (things that I primarily focused on in my blog.) My point of view, was that people make these public places so private, and for one of her blog posts, she looked at why these private places were so public to the extent that when taking a beautiful morning stroll and enjoying the scenery, one of the things I must see is a naked vagrant washing his clothes in the water by the Waterfront. Yes, these places are public places, but these scenes really do in fact take away from the beauty and aesthetics of places that are supposed to be pristine. She address the issue of pollution, the many street dwellers we have in Trinidad that seem to be all over the city and the problem of unused space within the city. Overall a great and very interesting post to me and it seems to be the negatives of all the positives I spoke about within the city.
Check out her blog!
Behind City Lights
Another classmate of mine, Nichel Pierre did a blog on the Urban Commercialism that we see everywhere. Nichel goes deep into the issues that contemporary urban communities face such as gentrification, the excess advertising everywhere you turn and one blog entry in particular "Public, Your Private is Showing" that I think is just the most creative and funny way to express a problem that seems to be very common among urban cities. In Nichel's blog she looks at how the urban realm has become about housing and nurturing many companies and businesses and exploiting them to make the maximin profit, because at the end of the day that is all the CBD and the city is about right? Nichel speaks about the occurrence of companies trying to "publicise" the private areas by placing entrance fees and physical barriers. Nichel went in depth with this topic and it was very closely related to mine. A very funny, witty, but straight to the point blog. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Check out her blog!
Urban Commercialism
For my last blog reflection, I decided to look at Terry-Ann Arjoon's blog, The Illusions of an Urban Paradise. Also highlighting the many negative aspects of the city life. I was particularly intrigued by two blog entries in particular, one where she focused on the importance of green spaces within a city and the other where she looked at how the city has changed over the years, looking at how most of the built up areas within the city once upon a time used to be coastline.
She talks about how most of Port of Spain was built on reclaimed land. From the fairly new establishment Movie Towne straight down to the Port and then to South Quay. This is one the main reasons why when we have heavy rains, Port of Spain is one of the first places in Trinidad to flood. All contractors did was fill the river or body of water with sediment and that is a big problem today. Green spaces within the city have environmental, economic, social and many health benefits. I think sooner than later we will be seeing many contraction companies and urban planning companies creating buildings with many green spaces in an around the area. In addition to greatly assisting the environment, it will increase the aesthetics of the area and make it more friendly and serene, rather than having all this cold, harsh glass staring at you. It would really make the city a 'concrete jungle' where ever you go. Not just New York.
Check out her blog!
Illusions of an Urban Paradise.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
The Finale.
I wanted to make my last post somewhat of a combination of all things Urban or City related. So I went to a spot where I would find a good general picture that contained all the elements of a city. This venue, the look out located on the Lady Young Road, is another open space that captures our culture very well, but is located in an area that is deemed very dangerous. Even when I was taking the pictures, the person I went with was like "In, take three four pictures and then out. We definitely do not want to be lingering around here for too long." And there are conceptions like that, whether they may be wrong or not, that keep the population away and keep them from really enjoying our public spaces and enjoying the beauty of what is our island; our little own heaven on earth.
This pictures makes me feel so serene. Just something about it. Looking down and see all the bright lights, the different structures and the different meanings and experiences that everyone would equate to these structures. I can pin point so many places from just looking at this picture. I feel like the city is mine (I hope this isn't too emotional :/) I feel like this place I call home is mine. It belong solely and wholly to me.
The hills coming up at the side that house the many squatters that reside there. Everything just looks so beautiful and so right in this one picture. From this view, from here, no one can see the crime, the fear instilled in our hearts, in our minds. No one can see the hurt people feel or face on a daily basis that we really do not know about. No one can see the homeless, the drug dealers, the people that contribute to the decline in our sense of public. Our sense of togetherness. No one can see anything but just lights, pretty buildings, and a good looking city. It does look very good from this angle.
I wanted to draw reference to Mumford (1938) where he said that cities are a product of time. They are the moods in which men's lifetimes have cooled and congealed, giving lasting shape, by way of art, to moments that would otherwise vanish with the living and leave no means of renewal or wider participation behind them. in the city, time becomes invisible: buildings and monuments and pun lib ways, more open than the written record, more subject to the gaze of many men than the scattered artefacts of the countryside, leave an imprint upon the minds even of the ignorant or the indifferent. A pretty long quote, but it's just so applicable. Time goes on, time waits on no one. It's up to us whether we want to sit in a bubble and act like things are not moving, act like time is not leaving us.
When I look at the city, I often wonder what things will look like in the future. The structures and infrastructures all must move with the changing times. Certain things will remain the same, but generally, with the changing time, must come changing, up to date structures and policies to keep up with the time. Will we remember what our past looks like? Will we remember what they structures used to look like before these new ones came into place? Mumford's words are like a poem, like art. They make me think and make me feel something I'm not very familiar with.
He goes on to say by the diversity of its time-structures, the city in part escapes the tyranny of a single present, and the monotony of a future that consists repeating only a single beat heard in the past (Mumford, 1938). The more something changes, the more it stays the same. This quote will forever confuse me, but I know that somehow it means, the more things change and become very different, at some point, it will become a habit. It will become the norm, and after a while, what things used to be like in the past will only be but a distant memory.
The only thing constant in life is change.
It's either we move on along with the times, or risk getting left behind.
Lewis Mumford. The Culture of Cities. 1938.
Globalisation, is that you?
I promise I would never forget the day McDonald's left here for the first time. Claiming that it was not making a profit. "Is that all this is about? Making money?" I thought to myself as a distraught little girl. I could not understand. "This is about more than just money! What about that broad, full mouthed smile you see when my happy meal is handed to me?!? What about when that ice cream cone is no longer enough for the wrath of that wonderful vanilla soft serve ice cream; subsequently spilling out onto my hands. Is that not enough to make you stay McDonald's? If that isn't enough then I don't know what is." I said as tears streamed down my plump, red cheeks. Filled with dismay and horror and disappointment. It was all too much for me to handle.
However, many years later, a completely different market plan and clearly a different impact on the market, my dear dear McDonald's is back at home. Where it belongs. Also, many years later, I've come to accept the fact that everything IS actually about money (pretty sad, but what can I say. I've got my McDonald's back.) Now, I can finally understand why McDonald's left in the first place, and now why they have returned to me, it is quite interesting.
I remember hearing someone say "We is not chicken people really. We like burgers and thing. That's why dem didn't make it down here. We Trini's love a burger. Well except for KFC, but our KFC chicken is 11 natural, local herbs and spices. McDonald's chicken: I wasn't feeling that at all, at all, at all." In some of the best local Trinidadian dialect I have ever heard, I must admit. Also, have you ever wondered by Trinidadians feel the need to repeat things more than once? Anyway. Now that I have have some more knowledge about the topic. I can say that the demand for McDonald's wonderful chicken was not there. We really were not "chicken people" unless it's stewed, curried, or fried by KFC.
Then that just makes me wonder... What changed?
I don't think the people changed, no.
I don't think the market changed, maybe.
I think it was the ideologies of the people that changed completely.
It seems that the way many Trinidadians think has changed within recent times and what can we blame for that? Is it Globalisation? I mean the widening of knowledge and theories and the impressionism upon the minds of a very impressionable people (Is that bad? I hope not) can definitely be the reason for the success of McDonald's then vs now.
Giddens (1991) describes Globalisation as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa. It involves a greater interconnectedness across space and time where disparate lives are increasingly linked yet simultaneously 'disembodied.'
Ritzer (1996) says that the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world. This is exactly what brought McDonald's back to Trinidad. It was economic opportunity based on the changed, altered minds of the locals, where fast food restaurants like McDonald's could strive (and are striving) within this economy. Trinidadians have this belief that whatever is NOT from Trinidad has to be the best quality, best make, lasts longer etc. Don't get me wrong, I almost cried when I heard McDonald's was coming back; any trip outside of the Caribbean, the first thing I ever did when I landed was eat McDonald's (the addiction was real!)
Globalisation has opened many doors for us and although it may seem that the this flow of technology, power, education is only incoming, that is not the case at all. Our culture is one that has been widespread for years, seeing an increase in the number of tourists that frequent our country for Carnival year after year.
So I hear McDonald's is coming back and all I can say is Globalisation, is that you?
Anthony Giddens. Globalisation: Power, Politics and Global Change. Geographic Association, 1991.
George Ritzer. Globalisation: Power, Politics and Global Change. Geographic Association, 1996a.
THE Avenue
I remember before we were even old enough to legally drink (don't quote me on that), we were all hanging out on Ariapita Avenue. A long strip of restaurants, bars, clothes shops, beauty salons, basically anything you can think of, the Avenue has got it. On a Friday or a Saturday night, you'd better be out early, because the traffic on the avenue is not easy. Do not even mention trying to get a park. Some spend hours driving around, circling the area waiting for the perfect space close to all the action, but not toooo close because no one wants to get wrecked! From grabbing two doubles on the corner, watching the gyro man customise your gyro, eating at some of the finest restaurants, eating some of the weirdest, uncooked things (sushi), to sitting and eating some Chinese, or even heading to a club. The Avenue has anything you could think of within a spilt second.
Stuart Hall (1995) when speaking the ordinary city said that cultural diversity and intermingling, within the multiplex city of shared spaces, as an important source of social renewal and economic innovation. The hypothesis here is that culturally hybrid cities which actively promote contact between groups are able to explore prospects for economic renewal through radical innovations in ideas and practices resulting from cultural interchange. This describes Trinidad and what the avenue tries to portray perfectly.
It is in the blood of a Trinidadian, the culture is so rich it cannot be denied. A beautiful multi-cultural island that people consider to be a mixing pot. All these cultures, practices, beliefs come together to kill two birds with one stone. The economic side; to provide a good and service to citizens who desire it, while making a living, and the cultural side; to showcase their talent and to let other people experience and enjoy what they have to offer. Along the avenue alone, you would find authentic dishes from Syrian-Lebanese, Arabian, West Indian (doubles), Chinese. All in one area! Where else can you say that you could find something so diverse, so creative, so wonderful! Hall (1995) goes on to say that urban diversity and difference based on genuine sense of belonging and intermingling can be a source of economic creativity. It is honestly such a wonderful thing to be able to experience the world in your own little paradise.
Hall and Barrett (2012) have said that culture seems to be increasingly central to the process of economic change within the city. The cultural and creative industries have come to play ever more significant roles in the economic development of cities recently.
By day, the avenue is a bustling place mainly used for many business transactions; food places, hair salons, banking) but by night, it's that Trinidadian night life that is oh so famous and very difficult to keep up with; hitting 3, 4 bars a night, clubbing, dancing.
Te central and significant fact about the city is that the city functions as the specialised organ of social transmission. it accumulates the heritage of a region, and combines in some measure and kind with the cultural heritage or larger unites, national, racial, religious, human, On one side if the individuality of the city - the sign manual of its region life and record. On the other side are the marks of civilisation, in which each particular city is an constituent element (Mumford 1938)
It's the best of both worlds in so many aspects; experimental, cultural, economic.
Stuart Hall (1995) when speaking the ordinary city said that cultural diversity and intermingling, within the multiplex city of shared spaces, as an important source of social renewal and economic innovation. The hypothesis here is that culturally hybrid cities which actively promote contact between groups are able to explore prospects for economic renewal through radical innovations in ideas and practices resulting from cultural interchange. This describes Trinidad and what the avenue tries to portray perfectly.
It is in the blood of a Trinidadian, the culture is so rich it cannot be denied. A beautiful multi-cultural island that people consider to be a mixing pot. All these cultures, practices, beliefs come together to kill two birds with one stone. The economic side; to provide a good and service to citizens who desire it, while making a living, and the cultural side; to showcase their talent and to let other people experience and enjoy what they have to offer. Along the avenue alone, you would find authentic dishes from Syrian-Lebanese, Arabian, West Indian (doubles), Chinese. All in one area! Where else can you say that you could find something so diverse, so creative, so wonderful! Hall (1995) goes on to say that urban diversity and difference based on genuine sense of belonging and intermingling can be a source of economic creativity. It is honestly such a wonderful thing to be able to experience the world in your own little paradise.
Hall and Barrett (2012) have said that culture seems to be increasingly central to the process of economic change within the city. The cultural and creative industries have come to play ever more significant roles in the economic development of cities recently.
By day, the avenue is a bustling place mainly used for many business transactions; food places, hair salons, banking) but by night, it's that Trinidadian night life that is oh so famous and very difficult to keep up with; hitting 3, 4 bars a night, clubbing, dancing.
Te central and significant fact about the city is that the city functions as the specialised organ of social transmission. it accumulates the heritage of a region, and combines in some measure and kind with the cultural heritage or larger unites, national, racial, religious, human, On one side if the individuality of the city - the sign manual of its region life and record. On the other side are the marks of civilisation, in which each particular city is an constituent element (Mumford 1938)
It's the best of both worlds in so many aspects; experimental, cultural, economic.
Stuart Hall. The Ordinary City. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers, 1995.
Tim Hall and Heather Barrett, Urban Geography, 4th ed. (Abingdon: Routledge 2012) 164.
Geddes and Branford. The Culture of Cities. 1938.
Geddes and Branford. The Culture of Cities. 1938.
Interesting Article:
Private? No Public? Private and Public?
In the 21st century, planning has become all about the look of a city; the skyscrapers, the extremely tall buildings, and structures to house the plethora of cars in the world today. Banerjee (2001) stated that little expansion of parks and open spaces has been taking place within recent times. The stock of open space has not kept up with population growth, especially in the older cities.
The Hyatt Regency Waterfront was a very successful economic venture. Not only does the establishment bring a world class, four star hotel to our shores but it has created a place with a very serene, warm aura. At night, many flock to the Waterfront to really observe and soak in a little piece of the beauty that is the Waterfront. At any given time you can find families, couples, little children enjoying the fountain, the night lights, the many high rise buildings, the ships you can see coming in. Must be very exciting as a little child to experience all those things in one place.
While this is true, the Hyatt Regency is still very much a public space; which brings me to my argument of how public is public? Banerjee (2001) continues to say that the owner of the land has all the legal prerogative to exclude someone from the space and often invisible property boundaries. The public is welcomed as long as they are patrons of shops and restaurants, office workers or clients of businesses located on the premise. But access to and use of the space is only a privilege not a right. Everyone assumes that these places are for the public and are open to everyone, but most times, these places can be referred to as "publicised" private places; where although it is a private space, I (the owner) will allow certain individuals the right to access to the land to trick you into thinking it's really a public space, but it isn't. it's private. Get it?
Another main problem associated with these private but public but private spaces is that many citizens no longer feel safe staying out after a certain time. Especially where within recent times, there has been a drastic increase in the crime rate in Trinidad. The Port of Spain area is not deemed safe as it is a harbour for theft, drug and sex related activities that many people do not want to be exposed to. Banerjee (2001) explained this beautifully, calling it the "broken window syndrome." There has been a definite decrease in the citizens visiting some of these public areas. According to Banerjee (2001), there has been a steady decline in not only the supply but the quality of public spaces due to the fact that there are many drug dealers, and homeless individuals that have made the city their home; and it is very true. The city has become the hub for these activities that many of the citizens do not want to be near.
This is our city. Our reality.
The Hyatt Regency Waterfront was a very successful economic venture. Not only does the establishment bring a world class, four star hotel to our shores but it has created a place with a very serene, warm aura. At night, many flock to the Waterfront to really observe and soak in a little piece of the beauty that is the Waterfront. At any given time you can find families, couples, little children enjoying the fountain, the night lights, the many high rise buildings, the ships you can see coming in. Must be very exciting as a little child to experience all those things in one place.
While this is true, the Hyatt Regency is still very much a public space; which brings me to my argument of how public is public? Banerjee (2001) continues to say that the owner of the land has all the legal prerogative to exclude someone from the space and often invisible property boundaries. The public is welcomed as long as they are patrons of shops and restaurants, office workers or clients of businesses located on the premise. But access to and use of the space is only a privilege not a right. Everyone assumes that these places are for the public and are open to everyone, but most times, these places can be referred to as "publicised" private places; where although it is a private space, I (the owner) will allow certain individuals the right to access to the land to trick you into thinking it's really a public space, but it isn't. it's private. Get it?
Another main problem associated with these private but public but private spaces is that many citizens no longer feel safe staying out after a certain time. Especially where within recent times, there has been a drastic increase in the crime rate in Trinidad. The Port of Spain area is not deemed safe as it is a harbour for theft, drug and sex related activities that many people do not want to be exposed to. Banerjee (2001) explained this beautifully, calling it the "broken window syndrome." There has been a definite decrease in the citizens visiting some of these public areas. According to Banerjee (2001), there has been a steady decline in not only the supply but the quality of public spaces due to the fact that there are many drug dealers, and homeless individuals that have made the city their home; and it is very true. The city has become the hub for these activities that many of the citizens do not want to be near.
This is our city. Our reality.
Banerjee, Tridib. The Future of Public Space: Beyond Invented Streets and Reinvented Places." Journal of the American Planning Association. 67, (2001): 9 - 13.
What Did This Area Look Like Before Again?
Does anyone really remember what this place looked like before this new highway went up? I mean really remember. Take time to see if you think you could force your brain to remember what this whole establishment looked like prior to this new fancy arrangement we have here. With no traffic lights to stop us (because we all know traffic lights cause traffic). Just the free, easy flow of traffic along the East West and West South and East South corridors. Does that make sense?
I chose this piece because it's amazing how when something changes, and we seem to be pleased with this change, it's almost like this is how it was all along. I remember complaining so much because coming from the East (Mount Hope to be exact) and trying to head West is not the easiest thing to do on this highway. But after a few times and some getting accustomed to the new arrangement, it comes like second nature to me. But this happens to me all the time (especially with highways it would seem). After I have gotten so accustomed to something, I just can't seem to go back to that point in time where it was not anything near to this. I pass there quite often and every single time I pass I am amazed by how much land there is. I always ask myself "Where in heaven's name did these people find all this land to build this new highway? I promise all this was not there before!" And that amazes me. That after something has changed and we've gotten so accustomed to the change, that the before seems to unimportant.
I will not disclose my secret location where I took these shots, but you can see that the flyover directly in front of us, which is the newest instalment to the whole ordeal, and the long stretch in front of us is heading into Valsayn and then Curepe and it goes just deeper and deeper into the North-East of Trinidad. They did a pretty good job with the lighting huh?
Traditionally, the methods and modes of transportation have not been studied in as much depth as they are being studied today, but scientists are blaming the number of cars on the road and the many impacts that these cars and their exhaust have on the environment for the increase in their importance. The whole concept of mobility is no longer about getting to point A to point B, but is concerned with the many other journeys that are necessary for the day to day living of certain individuals. Mobility shapes cities. Their size and form throughout history and across the world are a reflection of the prevalence of different forms of transport. The urban sprawl of many contemporary cities reflects, and helps perpetuate, the importance of the private car today but other forms of transport, such as the railway and carriage, have been equally important determinants of the shape and nature of cities. (Hall and Barrett 2013, 283.)
The modern suburban period began in the 1920's and one of the main reasons for the suburban explosion was the widespread diffusion to the auto-mobile. In 1910 the U.S. has less than 1 million auto-mobiles, but by the early 1930's there was nearly 27 million (one for every five persons.) (Bourne, 1996) Cities have been experiencing new waves of decentralisation, initially of residential land use and later non-residential uses., one of the main reasons for the enhanced personal mobility. (Hall and Barrett 2013, 284).
A Carless Future?
Video Explanation
Car Sales Rocket in ChinaChinese Company Gives Employees Gas Masks Due to Exhaust Fumes in Office
Tim Hall and Heather Barrett, Urban Geography, 4th ed. (Abingdon: Routledge 2012) 283 - 284
De Savannah Food
The Queen's Park Savannah, or "de savannah" as it is very commonly known, is recorded as Port of Spain's largest open space - and is home to the largest roundabout in the world, occupying 260km2 of land. The savannah is definitely an area that belongs solely to Trinidad and Tobago. The savannah has been around for many many years and is something Trinidadians take pride in and take very good care of (one of the few things.) Very recently, The Savannah - a true open, public space - is being utilised for food and "hanging" out purposes. Anyone, at almost anytime is able to visit the savannah, grab a coconut water, take a job (great exercise arena) without being restricted.
The Savannah is seen as a focal point of a budding business arena as well. The Northern End of the savannah you will find the Royal Botanical Gardens The Emperor Valley Zoo, The official residences of the President and the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and the renowned Queen's Hall (used for many performances and shows.) On the Southern Side lies the grand stand used mainly for cultural events notably Carnival. On a Saturday or Sunday evening, many young folks flock to the green grasses of the savannah to indulge in many different sporting activities; football, cricket, track and field etc. This vast urban structure has many many purposes.
There are so many different things offered at the savannah. "Savannah Food" as we call it is one restaurant with a very extensive menu! And did I mention at great prices? One could pick up a tall glass of all natural juice ranging in many flavours, a gyro, a burger, some doubles, a delicious cup of homemade souse (a local dish), boiled corn, corn soup, bar-be-que wings and fries and this list literally goes on and on.
When thinking of the savannah and most of the actives that take place during the night, one theory comes to mind; The Informal Economy. The informal economy is that part of the economy that is not taxed or heavily monitored by any form of government and or is not included in the GNP. It is used to describe employment or livelihood generation primarily within the developing world. The informal sector constitutes a significant component of the urban economy and employment market (Hall and Barrett 2012, 93). This is said to be prevalent in countries that have undergone a recent shift in political and economic structures.
For Trinidadians, it means being able to showcase a skill, while being flexible at doing your job. Two main sub-sectors involved in the informal economy in Trinidad and Tobago are the subsistence sector, which deals with consumption for self and family and small scale producers who are involved in small arts and crafts or the retail of goods and services (Potter and Llyod-Evans, 1998). This sector of the economy is just a way for honest, maybe lower class individuals to make an honest dollar without being involved in anything underhand, while providing a good or service that is clearly needed by the public.
The picture highlights the strip where most of the food is sold around the savannah. Apparently I went at a bad time because there are usually hundreds of people at a time gathered around for some personal time.
Mumford (1938) said that the city is primarily a social emergent. The mark of the city is it purposive social complexity. It represents the maximum possibility of humanising the natural environment and of naturalising the human heritage: it gives a cultural shape to the first, and it externalises, in permanent collective forms, the second."
Tim Hall and Heather Barrett, Urban Geography, 4th ed. (Abingdon: Routledge 2012) 93 - 94.
Potter, Robert B., and Sally LLoyd-Evans. The City in a Developing World. Harlow, Essex, United Kingdom: Longman, 1998. Print.
Lewis Mumford. The Culture of Cities. 1938.
Lewis Mumford. The Culture of Cities. 1938.
Urban Education
It's funny because every time I hear someone speak about The University of The West Indies, it's always a "steups" or a "sigh, that place yes!" The University of the West Indies St Augustine campus is one of three Campuses around the Caribbean. This campus was established in 1960, and the Trinidad and Tobago nationals have the privilege of enjoying free education at all levels (which is amazing by the way.) The university serves 18 English speaking countries and the aim of the university was to help "unlock the potential for economic and cultural growth" in the West Indies, thus allowing for improved regional autonomy.
In this post, I use UWI as a platform to speak about Urban Education, or the education system on the whole, as although the education at the university is free, many individuals do not reach that level in education. In a study done by University of Michigan, urban schools tend to at a disadvantage especially to the children that are attending the schools. Inequalities in education exist from the textbooks provided to the teacher qualifications which in turn affects the quality of education that inner-city children receive. People are being segregated by social class and the impoverished population is not getting the same educational opportunities as their more privileged counterparts.
Providing education that is both high in quality and fair to all is one of the greatest challenges facing cities today. This concentration prepares students for careers in educational policy and practice. One major problem with this is that low-income urban parents and families tend to not to see education as being extremely important and do not play an active role in helping their children acquire an education. An education takes away from the roles and responsibilities youths have to fulfil at home.
So while education is free in Trinidad and Tobago, many people do not get to that level.
In this post, I use UWI as a platform to speak about Urban Education, or the education system on the whole, as although the education at the university is free, many individuals do not reach that level in education. In a study done by University of Michigan, urban schools tend to at a disadvantage especially to the children that are attending the schools. Inequalities in education exist from the textbooks provided to the teacher qualifications which in turn affects the quality of education that inner-city children receive. People are being segregated by social class and the impoverished population is not getting the same educational opportunities as their more privileged counterparts.
Providing education that is both high in quality and fair to all is one of the greatest challenges facing cities today. This concentration prepares students for careers in educational policy and practice. One major problem with this is that low-income urban parents and families tend to not to see education as being extremely important and do not play an active role in helping their children acquire an education. An education takes away from the roles and responsibilities youths have to fulfil at home.
So while education is free in Trinidad and Tobago, many people do not get to that level.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
A Picture Tells A Thousand Words
I don't even think a blog is necessary for this picture. It is so self explanatory.
Zukin, Sharon. The Culture of Cities. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers, 1995.
It's 10:08 PM on a Tuesday night, under some trees on the Promenade, sitting four to a table, these men are playing cards, smoking, talking and interacting. There's no laptop, there's no cellular phone, no technology. Just personal time spent with good friends. Maybe even strangers that have many things in common. This is the essence of the city. The picture speaks of the city and the culture of the city so well.
Lewis Mumford (1938), in his study The Culture of Cities, speaks about the city being the form and symbol of an integrated social relationship: it is the seat of the temple, the market, the hall of justice and the academy of writing. Here in the city, the goods of civilisation are multiplied and manifolded, here is where human experience is transformed into visible signs, symbols, patterns of conduct, system of order.
This picture says "I'm home. I'm comfortable." Public Space seems to inspire virtue in several forms: civic pride, social contact, especially form people of diverse backgrounds; a sense of freedom and finally, common sense."
Sharon Zukin (1995, 42) says "the city remains a theatre for 'mingling with strangers.'" The effect is the evolution of a shared citizenship across the urban spectrum - class, gender, ethnic and sexual - constructed around the everyday social confidence that comes from individuals and communities making use of the right to access a public space shared with others."
Public Spaces are "the primary sites of public culture: they are the window into a city's soul... Public spaces are important because they are places where strangers mingle feely... As both site and sight, meeting place and social staging ground, public spaces enable us to conceptualise and represent the city - to make an ideology of its receptivity to strangers, tolerance of difference and opportunities to enter a fully socialised life, both civic and commercial."
Everyday street life, different, simple interactions like this one makes up the shared public culture. Places where people are free and places we all can enjoy.
Whether we like playing cards, smoking, or just enjoying the ambiance; it's ours to enjoy.
Zukin, Sharon. The Culture of Cities. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers, 1995.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
The Spaceship? Wait, that's NAPA.
I remember when this building first went into construction. I went to school opposite to the new construction site and everyday my friends and I would try to guess exactly what this 'structure' was going to be. It looked like a huge metal spider, or maybe it was supposed to be a spaceship.
"But why build one? Don't those things just land somewhere?" I remember my best friend asking once :/
It definitely looked like something straight out of a horror movie. Right in Trinidad and Tobago. Much to our disappointment, we were all wrong.
The National Academy of the Performing Arts or NAPA as we locals know it is the first of its kind in Trinidad. It is described as "the permanent home for the development of talent in the performing arts." The Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (UDeCOTT). The architectural design is supposed to be reminiscent of the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago, the Chaconia. (Okay, so it isn't a spaceship.) Designed to fit 1500, with state of the art lighting and sound systems, NAPA also comes equipped with a hotel for visiting performers and students.
Who even designs buildings like these? Apparently many people around the world do!
An iconic design is usually one that is 'ground breaking' and one that sets new standards in its field. It is a design that other designers and manufactures follow, as it becomes a bench mark for other similar products. Furthermore, an iconic design is one that stands up to the test of time, remaining a good design, despite the passing of years, decades and even centuries.
I think that this theory is definitely applicable to Trinidad in terms of NAPA. We see that the architects and contractors behind this "spaceship" specifically designed NAPA to look like the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago. This does wonders for the locals (those that actually know what the design is supposed to be). This gives us a sense of feeling and belonging to the buildings. It is our own, designed specifically for us to enjoy, to utilise and to love.
In my opinion NAPA can be classified as Iconic architecture; although we are yet to see the design withstand the test of many decades (but I have faith that my spaceship will). While NAPA may not be like anything we may see in London or Dubai or more economically developed countries, it can be classified as 'iconic' on our own scale. "The rising occurrences of these image-making and tourism attracting capacities of this iconic building may have been viewed as successful in transitioning the city's image from declining and de-industrialising to being a global tourism destination and cultural centre." (Barrett and Hall 2012, 205)
NAPA is definitely an essence. At night, the building illuminates so beautifully leaving all in awe. Our own iconic building that we love.
Naturally, everyone would understand why I thought this was a spaceship of some sort.
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PS. All photos taken by yours truly :)
The two articles below give a different side to the concept of "iconic architecture." Very interesting to read because it is a parallel view to what Hall and Barrett showed us.
Tim Hall and Heather Barrett, Urban Geography, 4th ed. (Abingdon: Routledge 2012) 204 - 206.
Why Cities Need Iconic Buildings? Michael Maltzan
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