Clifton Yap | Implement well-conceived, not arbitrary town planning

The Vision 2030 slogan – “Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business”, has been exhaustively used by officials to suggest that the country is on track to achieve the goals set out in the document.

However, the reality is that 14 years have passed since its publication in 2009, and the country is arguably in a more deplorable state in many aspects, with out-of-control crime and murder rates, inadequate and substandard schools, hospitals, and other public facilities, rampant indiscipline, and increasing social and physical disorder in every single town and city, especially in our capital Kingston!

With only seven years to go, it should be clear that a “vision” without an “actionable” plan is just a wish list.

For example, the urban environment of Kingston is increasingly harsh and hostile, a main contributing factor being the NWA’s continuing drive to widen city streets to build four-lane highways with ugly concrete barriers. They do this in the futile effort to resolve traffic congestion, when good city planners worldwide know that it only creates more space for more cars to fill, if the underlying causes are not addressed.

One of the main underlying causes is that while the world is trying to address climate change concerns, and to reduce fossil fuel usage, Jamaica continues to pursue “development” policies with motor car dependency as the primary means of transportation.

So we have ever-widening asphalted streets facing on to asphalted parking lots, with mature trees in the city removed, and sidewalk spaces reduced to narrow broken-down slivers, cluttered with utility poles, power lines and cables, etc. These “slivers” are left to be used by around 85 per cent of the population who cannot afford to buy and maintain cars!

DON’T UNDERSTAND

Our decision-makers don’t yet understand that in good cities around the world, streets are not only throughways for cars. They are where everyday life happens, and need to be considered as places of commerce, work, recreation and social interaction – a place for humans!

Adding to the chaos is the ad hoc manner in how building approvals are granted for high-rise apartments in traditionally low-density residential neighbourhoods. Packed in wall to wall, many on tiny lots, they are not only destroying the character and functioning of neighbourhoods throughout Kingston, and our once beautiful hillsides, but are making the problem of traffic congestion in the city exponentially worse – as every occupant in these high-rise buildings have to drive a car each and every time they leave their complex!

Of course, increasing urban densities in a growing city is necessary, but there is a proper way to go about it.

It is commonly known that the radically increased heights and densities for apartments was mandated to NEPA, following visits to Singapore by members of the current administration.

It is unfortunate that the only thing that our officials noticed on those trips were the high-rise buildings. Because, among the many important things missed and could have been used to benefit Jamaica, including:

1) Singapore with its very small land size, (approximately that of the parish of St James) and around twice the population of Jamaica (5.92 million), had no choice but to build high-rise. However, as with other properly planned cities, apartment buildings are generally located in dense urban areas where offices, shops, restaurants and other amenities are easily accessible by walking, or by state-of-the-art public transportation options – including an underground rail rapid transit, dedicated bus lanes, ferry service, etc. Car usage is not a necessity.

2) Unlike Jamaica, coordinated forward planning was done to ensure adequate infrastructure for underground electricity, water supply, storm water drainage and sewage disposal, etc., were already in place before, not after, these buildings were constructed.

3) Despite Singapore having no natural water resources and has to import water, it takes pride in being known as a ‘Garden City’, and placed a very strong emphasis on developing a high-quality and aesthetic pedestrian public realm in a landscaped environment. This includes approximately 200 public parks that residents can walk to within 10-15 minutes. All the waterfronts are fully accessible by the public, not privatised.

4) Largely as a result of creating the highest quality living environment for its citizens, and with educational and medical facilities among the best in the world, Singapore was able to attract a record 19.2 million visitors in 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Because these visitors are not isolated in all-inclusive enclaves, but are in the city streets, the economic benefits that accrue to the wider population of the country is far more than the 35 cents in the dollar that Jamaica gets from tourism earnings.

LESSON FROM SINGAPORE

With these accomplishments, plus many more, the most important lesson for Jamaica to learn from Singapore is that their great success did not come about by chance.

It was driven by a 50-year master plan, developed in 1971, that was specifically conceived for Singapore to achieve all of its developmental goals while becoming a ‘Garden City’, and not be turned into a “concrete jungle”.

This master plan formed the fundamental basis for Singapore to transform from abject poverty, limited natural resources, and an undisciplined and crime-riddled society, to have long since achieved First World status.

The latest talking trend in Jamaica today is about “smart cities” and “smart” technology, as a panacea to solve our urban problems. However, like Singapore, Jamaica has always had access to the same best practices and resource information from anywhere in the world.

I am suggesting that what our country more urgently needs at this time are “smart” political leaders. Leaders who understand the value of following a well-conceived master plan, instead of continuing to run the country with arbitrary and unilateral dictates.

Clifton Yap is fellow Jamaican Institute of Architects. Send feedback to cliftonyap1@gmail.com