Focus on urban revitalization in the Caribbean

THE theme ‘Urban Revitalization: Lessons in CARICOM’ came under the microscope yesterday when the curtain came down on the Barbados Town Planning Society’s (BTPS) webinar series.
During this final session, selected professionals from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Suriname shared ideas of how to revitalize this region’s capital cities and major urban centres as vibrant, multifunctional and celebrated heritage centres.
One key point coming out of the two- hour session was the need for CARICOM countries to work together in a greater way. The significance of this was especially underscored by BTPS member, Sandra Penfold, when she addressed the proceedings.
“One thing that CARICOM nations need to do is to pool their resources. We are all small, some of us smaller than others, but we need to be in a position where we can pool our resources and in pooling resources, we all need to learn from each because best practice occurs all over the place. I think that if we can draw on work that is done elsewhere, I think that could be a real benefit to all our us rather than reinventing the wheel all of the time.”
Yesterday’s webinar occurred on World Town Planning Day 2021. BTPS President, Yolanda Alleyne, in her remarks, spoke about the significance of the Day.
“World Town Planning Day is an opportunity each year to celebrate planning achievements and to promote the role of physical and development planning in protecting the environment for future generations, preserving our natural and cultural heritage and promoting good qualities, sustainable and liveable communities.” She continued, “Today [Monday] the Barbados Town Planning Society recognises the major role of physical planning across the Caribbean community in transforming our older urban centres into engines for growth and hubs of vitality.” Alleyne said: “It is extremely important that we address the challenges and build on the strengths of our capitals and other prominent urban centres to turn them into desirable and attractive places where people want to live, work, recreate and do business.” (MG)