Portmore, the new city?

Keisha Hill, Gleaner Writer

One of the most significant aspects of population change in Jamaica in the past 30 years has been the growth of the parish of St Catherine. Simultaneously with this growth is the continued decline in the population of the parish of Kingston and the slowing down in the rate of growth of the parish of St Andrew.

According to the 2001 report by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), Kingston and St Andrew have represented the major focus of inter-parish movements and growth in the early 20th century.

Perhaps the most outstanding growth witnessed over the past three decades has been the development of the Portmore community in the southern part of St Catherine.

The 2001 STATIN report indicated that in 1970, this section of the parish was a largely uninhabited area with a population of about 5,000. By 1982, the population had grown to 77,600, indicating a growth of 25 per cent annually. It then accounted for 23 per cent of the population of St Catherine. A slower growth rate of two per cent between 1982 and 1991 took the population of Portmore to in excess of 90,000.

immigrant population

Mayor of Portmore Keith Hinds said Portmore is largely an immigrant population of persons who have chosen to make the community their home. He said in comparison to Kingston, Portmore now represents the largest block of young people in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

"For many years, people were of the impression that Portmore was inhabited by second-class citizens, especially those who couldn't afford proper rental. Since 2007, we have been moving to change that perception. With the availability of housing and space for development, Portmore continues to grow," Hinds said.

According to Hinds, Portmore is now an investor's dream with the availability of human capital, extensive road networks, technology, and its proximity to one of the island's major international airports.

In 2001, Portmore, combined with the community of Hellshire, according to the STATIN report, grew faster than Spanish Town, the capital, at an annual rate of 5.1 per cent, adding just fewer than 64,000, making a total population of 161,654.

Between 1991 and 2001, the parish of St Catherine grew by 26.3 per cent, nearly three times the growth observed for the overall country. Kingston declined by 3.7 per cent, while St Andrew grew by only 3.0 per cent.

housing solutions

McKenzie says the migration of persons from Kingston can be attributed to two main factors: housing, and crime and violence. "It speaks to what is required in terms of housing solutions because a lot of the migration is not because they want to migrate, but because there are housing solutions in those areas that we are not able to provide in Kingston," McKenzie said.

McKenzie said housing solutions are available in Kingston, but it is at a level that many of the persons who would want to live and own their own homes in Kingston cannot afford to. He said St Andrew is an option, but that relocating into that area also comes at a cost and is also based on who can afford to live in these developments.

"The housing in Portmore, and by extension, the St Catherine community, is more affordable. What it tells us is that we are not able to develop and put in the kind of infrastructure to hold these persons in Kingston. Gradually, we are going to see the migration that is going to see a drain on the Corporate Area," McKenzie said

"I don't believe there is an economic base where they are going. It is not on the basis of economic survival. It is more of persons wanting to live in comfortable dwellings. You should also take into consideration that a number of families have expanded, and the housing stock in the Corporate Area is limited and is also extremely old," McKenzie said.

capitalising

"You will find that seven out of every 10 premises in the Corporate Area existed, let us say from in the 1950 to 1960s. They are one-room solutions. People want to offer a different type of living to their families, so they will go where they can find that," he added.

Hinds is moving to capitalise on the continued migration. He said plans are at an advanced stage to make Portmore more economically viable to ensure that the persons who travel to Kingston for work remain in the municipality.

"We want to ensure that we maintain the highest level of education and skilled labour force. Seventy-five per cent of the workforce goes into Kingston, so we have to turn away from the notion of a dormitory city and one that has a solid economic base," Hines said.

However, McKenzie says that Kingston continues to be the hub as all the things that matter in terms of development and business are transacted in the city.

"When you look at it, the greater portion of Kingston is more commercialised in terms of how the city is structured. There is very limited area for development in housing, and that is something that I don't know if we will be ever able to solve," McKenzie said.

STATIN notes in its report that data for Kingston and St Andrew, as they relate to movements across parish boundaries, should be interpreted with the understanding that there may be some uncertainty regarding the boundaries of these two parishes, and in many instances, the two parishes are referred to as Kingston. It is possible that some of the movements could have been stated as Kingston.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com