11th Blog

"A city rounded by neglect"

http://survivingurbanportofspain.blogspot.com/

Taken by our colleague: The Land Rent Model of Alonso, Muth, et.al, “assumed that the dynamic of the zones of the city were invasion, succession, and segregation in that the population gradually filtered outward from the central business district and the level and status of assimilates also progressed”. The picture portrays one of the lower class areas of Port of Spain. The authors question how a community in close proximity to the urban space can be in such a state of despair. From a different perspective, in urban centers, there is a fight for sustainable livelihood. People situate themselves closer to the city in hope of gaining achievements within the realm of the resources that the city has to offer.

When living close to the city it perpetuates luxury to the human mind, especially if that human is less fortunate, the idea will increase. This as a result promotes crime resulting in obtaining luxury items and engages in criminal activities. A stigma of an unsafe environment is given to people performing this crime as well as the community. As a result, the area tends to be neglected by the government. This connects to Architecture and Caribbean Urban Spaces. This can be related to our third blog entitled "LOVE" where crime is perpetuated by the mentality of criminals to gain luxury items illegally. The quote taken by our colleague “assumed that the dynamic of the zones of the city were invasion, succession, and segregation in that the population gradually filtered outward from the central business district and the level and status of assimilates also progressed" indicated that there are people moving towards the periphery of the Central Business District. Additionally, Burgess 1925 showed that land value increases towards the CBD, therefore people will move towards this area for economic development. The Central Business District (CBD) is the main area of economic activity. People living on the outer zones would gravitate to the central business district and this would depict pull factor resources that the city provides. This in addition to our colleague can justify the presence of the residence of Sealots and environs. 

“Architecture through time”

http://triniurbanarchitecture.blogspot.com 

Taken by our colleague: Looking at these fretwork houses, a sense of admiration for its intricate designs and collaboration of architectural styles are felt. A connection to the past arises with a sense of nostalgia by the older folks. However, these houses are still standing connections to the colonial past.

"The imperial power still has an unspoken control over the city’s organization and development through the presence of these buildings”. Our colleague talks about the unspoken power the colonial presence has on the Caribbean spaces. This is now perpetuated into a neo-colonial aspect where western and also European elites invites themselves or is invited to impede their idea of development into the Caribbean space. This is related to our ninth blog entitle "Identity of Port of Spain through Architectural Design”. Architecture in Caribbean Spaces blog here relates to our colleague by illustrating the colonial power that still perpetuates in the Caribbean through architecture. The colonial mentality that the West Indian people allow relates to neoliberalism and the influence of imperial powers. The design of the ginger bread house is seen throughout the Caribbean islands as it is prominent in Dominica as displayed in Blog two of Architecture and Caribbean Urban Spaces.

“Public Space or Wasteful Space”

‘What makes a successful Public Space Part One?’

/http://whypublicspacesfail.blogspot.com/

Taken from our Colleague: "Successful public spaces are those which are easily accessible to and from other areas. Entrances to these places should be clearly visible both close up and at a distance. Visibility instills a sense of safety and safety invites people in. A good idea will be to ensure that walls do not block the view of entrances and exits. Fifty percent of the space should be open to the sidewalk (American Planning Association 2015), as this makes commuting to and from the place easier. Also, there should not be a limit to people who want to use public spaces. Therefore, accessibility for disabled persons should be provided".

Our colleague speaks about the gated park as a representation of safety. However, it can also be looked at from a different perspective. As expounded on blog entitle "LOVE" of Architecture and Caribbean Spaces, the community invites outsiders into their local space and expresses that they are a community of love through graphics on the wall despite the excess amount of criminal activities occurring in the area. When the message of ‘love' is placed in the center and the outskirts of the crime area, there will be a sense of welcome from the the community to the outside population.

                       BALLY IN THE URBAN

 Photo taken by Jhon Pierre Maxwell                      Port of Spain, O’Conner Street Woodbrook

Bally is an international salon located in Port of Spain Woodbrook 33 O’Conner Street.  The aesthetic, design and appeal of the studio is unique as compared to traditional hair salons.  Also compared to traditional designs of commercial and residential building the Bally salon design has a unique approach to its space.  This salon has done work on Miss Trinidad and Tobago for the Universe Pageant and many famous artistes such as Soca Artiste Destra and Patrice Roberts. Along with the location of the Bally salon which has a very significant land value price, the expertise and character of the human resources and architecture usually selects a high socio-economic class of persons or who can afford it. In this area of Woodbrook there are residential housing designs that have colonial styles and influences in it. Some of these residences are passed on to other generations of Europeans that would come to Trinidad. One example is the cream and green home next to Bally which is own by Ms Welch who is from England. Ms Welch told the researcher that the house was passed on to her by her grandfather after he died in 1956. Further modifications were made to the structure such as new painting and replacement of the roof. The Bally shows explicitly a postmodern design with its unique shape and angular design. Postmodernism describes a style or styles of architecture and the decorative arts that were a reaction to Modernism and the Modern Movement and the dogmas associated with it (Suzanne Waters 2008).

INFORMAL SECTOR

Photo taken by Kimara Dyer             - Kennedy Avenue, Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica

With direct attention on the first building in green and yellow, the picture portrays the home of two popular men on the street of downtown Kennedy Avenue. The type of architectural design is found in and around the city of Roseau. Material found in the surrounding environment is used to build the home. The structure and organization of the homes represent a communal setting. As seen, a combination of homes is situated toward the back of the first house. The homes are made of material such as different types of woods as well as galvanize for the roofing and the base. Like many of the homes in the city area, there is a combination of wood and concrete.

What is unique about this particular location is the popularity of the area. The owners are self employed in the shoe making industry. The close proximity to a number of business places provides a constant flow of production to the individuals. This depicts the city space as people make every effort to make a living and to improve their lifestyle. It is common to see people creating their business from home and majority of the time business have flourished. People continuously in the city support small local businesses. This is an example of the pull factors within the urban space, the availability of resources and the cliental for small local businesses. People with the central business district start of small to earn a living in the hopes of reaching great prosperity. “The theory relating to the informal sector to urban space is less clear”. The author continues to say that, “The augment appears to be that workers in the informal sector jobs require few, if any skills and so there is no need opportunity for specific on-the-job training that could lead to good higher paid jobs” (Teilhet 1983). This can relate to the local business where the men engage in shoe making outside their homes in an informal way with little modern equipment. On-the job training may not be present due to the early age of knowing the trade which would be passed on to that individual over generations.

REFERENCE

Teilhet-Waldorf, Saral, and William H. Waldorf. 1983. "Earnings of self-employed in an informal sector: a case study of Bangkok." Economic Development and Cultural Change 31, no. 3: 587-607.