LOVE IN CARIBBEAN ARCHITECTURE

Photo taken by Jhon Pierre Maxwell                          -In front of Duncan Street Port of Spain

Where is the love the local citizens crave for? On the east edge of Independence Square in Port of Spain from Duncan Street, Picadilly Street and Besson Street is known to be the periphery of Port of Spain. Crime and deviance are at high rates associated with gang violence. It is a phenomenon that exists within both rural and urban spaces. According to Glaeser (1996) crime rates are much higher in big cities than in either small cities or rural areas, and have been relatively pervasive for several centuries. This theory is further expanded by Marxist who expound on the theory that crimes are committed due to social class differences (Peet 1975).  People in the periphery who gain a minimal wage salary have the potential to engage in criminal activity in order to get access to the luxury and wealth associated with the Central Business District (Crime 2016).  To some it is their way of livelihood and the city is used as the source of victims.  In Trinidad and Tobago within recent times there has been an increase in the amount of crime. From the year 2000 crime began to increase and has continued that trend until it peaked in 2008 with 550 murders, after which it showed a decline to date (TTcrime 2016).

On the initial visit to Picadilly Street, pictures were taken in the spectrum of daylight. A short interview was conducted with an elder within the community as he expressed the high risk of wandering through the dangerous streets and informed that a high level of crime is associated with this area. Upon leaving Picadilly Street, the elder took contact information to confirm safety when leaving the area.

 Walking out from Picadilly Street towards Duncan Street, a sense of plead and compassion came from the walls of the road of Independence Square in the form of graffiti. Although crime is associated with the communities on the periphery, there are segmented groups within the community who are calling out for help. “LOVE” written on the walls of the building, light-pole and post box, indicates the communication to the public against the criminal activities associated with this area. The architectural design and pattern of the building had abstracts of persons which represent the people of the community. The buildings were abandoned and had no form of protection such as gates, fences or security. As a result of no restriction of public amenities, the community took the opportunity to express their plead through graffiti in public spaces expressing the frustration of the crime and the unhappiness brought about by hatred and fighting.

The theory of Neoliberalism emphasizes the idea of a system that is adapted by  imperialistic United States of America and other developed countries where high rise buildings is considered ideal or better and should be applied to Latin America and The Caribbean. Port of Spain has adapted some aspects of the imperialistic United States of America and other developed countries. Additionally, Elizabeth Martinez and Arnoldo Garcia (2000) stated that, “Neo-liberalism is a set of economic policies that have become widespread during the last 25 years or so. Although the word is rarely heard in the United States, you can clearly see the effects of neo-liberalism here as the rich grow richer and the poor grow poorer”.

Considering that developing countries such as Trinidad and Tobago have different historical and cultural behavior than that of the imperialistic countries, overtime, policies implemented have failed. This failure has lead to an evolution of criminal activity as the policies implemented do not properly address the nature of the problems associated with the Caribbean. Additionally, Privatization imposed by these imperialistic cooperation’s within the urban Caribbean spaces created a capitalistic system which maintained low incomes among people. Therefore, due to not being able to survive on minimal wage and growing in this highly materialized world, the desire to want or need material will increase and may be taken illegally.

The word “Love” written on the objects and architectural design of the building therefore indicates the effects neoliberalism when applying the western idea of development towards colonial territories. The architectural design used in this Caribbean space gives the community an opportunity to express this. Caribbean architecture is being used in this form in the urban space. Stating Love is within the people.

References:

"Crime". Urban Livihood. N.p., 2014.

Garcia, Arnoldo, and Elizabeth Martinez. "What Is "Neo-Liberalism" | Global Exchange". Globalexchange.org. N.p., 2000.

Peet, Richard. 1975. "Inequality And Poverty: A Marxist-Geographic Theory∗." Annals of the Association of American Geographers 65.4: 564-571.

"Trinidad & Tobago Crime Statistics". Ttcrime.com. N.p., 2016.