Place Check

Independence Square

Fig.1- High-rise buildings and
greenery in Independence Square

              Independence Square, previously known as “Marine Square”, was renamed upon the attainment of the country’s Independence in 1962. It is located on the southern end of Port of Spain and is informally known as the ‘heart’ of Port of Spain as it constitutes valued historical buildings, including the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, several governmental buildings such as the Nicholas Tower and the Eric Williams Plaza (Louis B. Homer, 2012), as well as commercial retail outlets (See Fig. 1). Upon visiting Independence Square on a busy Saturday morning, several observations could be made.

Numerous fast-food outlets, including the renowned KFC and Church’s Chicken, as well as small retail outlets offering a range of items, varying from clothing to shoes even to hand-made crafts, surrounded Independence Square. However, there was great contrast with the manner in which each of these retail outlets advertised themselves. The fast food outlets had towering signs above them in order to demand the attention of consumers, while the street-sellers simply hung their products from tents or placed them on tables in front of the outlet for display (See fig. 2). Nevertheless, both shared the common intention of drawing the attention of customers to obtain sales. As such, the presence of these numerous food and clothing retail outlets ensure easy access to products, usually at a cheaper price due to competition for sales. According to a vendor located within the Square, her location is the most “convenient”. She explained that the high inflow of people in and out of the Square allows her to generate “fast sales”.

Fig. 2- Street vendors near
Independence Square

            When looking around Independence Square itself, there was a serene atmosphere created by the presence of trees which delineated the Square. This greatly contrasted to the ‘concrete jungle’ that the city otherwise provided. As such, the Square proposed itself to be an ideal spot for relaxing or ‘liming’. However, its presence goes beyond simply providing a recreational ground. The Square is also home to commemorative statues of historical figures of Trinidad and Tobago, including Arthur Andrew Cipriani, a distinguished advocate for Independence, and Brian Lara, the ‘Prince of Port of Spain’. However, the beauty and historical value of Independence Square is also being combated by a number of negative concerns. Firstly, the streets displayed signs of pollution as they appeared dirty and littered. A vendor also complained of lacking facilities, as well as the offensive odor that often engrossed the atmosphere, usually on mornings. Moreover, the main concern of most vendors and passers-by, whose opinion was stated, laid in the issue of safety and security. Many of them expressed that they did not ‘feel safe’ in Independence Square, especially at night when the Square is home to a number of street dwellers. A female interviewee voiced that she disliked Independence Square as there are ‘too many characters’, referring to the host of males who often sit on benches and vocally admire female passers-by. Some even expressed that they did not ‘feel safe’ in areas such as Charlotte Street as they believe pick- pocketing, theft and overall crime is at its highest and security is inadequate.

Fig. 3- Street Parking on Fredrick
Street, P.O.S.

Thus, it was made clear that most individuals felt that a number of improvements should be done to enhance Independence Square and its surrounding areas. This could be done through urban planning of streets and infrastructural improvements by painting, rebuilding or refurbishing existing deteriorated buildings, as well as upgrading facilities, particularly bathrooms. Also, traffic congestion is another key issue that must be targeted. This could be done by establishing additional parking facilities, which would reduce street-side parking, thus allowing easier traffic flow (See fig. 3).  Furthermore, vendors should be prohibited from selling within the streets themselves, as often seen on Charlotte Street, as this also contributes to traffic pile-up. Most importantly, to combat the issue of crime in the CBD, cameras should be employed, as well as more frequent police and security patrols. All in all, Independence Square is a treasured point in Port of Spain which many see as a “home away from home”.

Belmont

                Belmont, previously known as “Freetown”, was the first area within Trinidad to become populated by African slaves who worked on the cocoa and coffee estates at Belmont (Louis B. Homer, 2013). It was the first official suburb of Port of Spain, located on the eastern outskirts of the city. This location is seen as beneficial to the people of Belmont as its close proximity allows the resources from P.O.S to be easily accessed and used and, in turn, the city can readily utilize the human resources of Belmont.

Fig. 4- Narrow Streets of Belmont

However, there are several downfalls also associated with the area. The lack of urban planning is evident through the very narrow streets (See fig. 4). This dates back to days of African enslavement when slaves left the plantations and haphazardly constructed houses close to each other (See fig. 5). This somewhat limits the development of the area as excessively large trucks or tractors may have difficulties maneuvering through these constricted streets. Moreover, traffic congestion is another issue that plagues the area of Belmont. This is due to its interconnectivity with the Port of Spain area, which experiences heavy traffic congestion on a daily basis. As such, traffic that begins within the city on Charlotte, Henry and Park Street stems into Belmont Circular Road and throughout Belmont. Additionally, the area of Belmont lacks adequate community centres and recreational areas for its residents. Instead, they are forced to rely on the Queen’s Park Savannah to provide a location for leisure. However, due to the spread of the crime that makes it way over the hills from Laventille, there is also an issue of security in Belmont. As a result, individuals are less encouraged to leave their homes in fear of crime.  This often results in a stigma being attached to Belmont and its residents that “nothing good comes out of Belmont”, as expressed by a Belmont resident.

Fig. 5- Houses built close to
each other in Belmont

However, the tour of Belmont, headed by Mr. Scantlebury, shed light on the numerous people and contributions of historical significance which emerged from Belmont. This included introduction to Denzel Fernandez, a resident of Belmont, who invented the popular ‘bore pan’. It also shed light on the contribution of Belmont to traditional mas by birthing characters such as the ‘fancy sailor’ and ‘blue devils’, as well as several pan bands, including ‘Casablanca’. Belmont is also home to the POS Charitable Brotherhood Friendly Society, as well as the Rada movement, which began in 1868. As such, there is great need to preserve the community of Belmont. In order to do this, there should be improvements to existing infrastructure, such as the Belmont fire station, schools and churches as well as upgrading of ancient ones. A community centre and recreational park should also be built, in order to host social events for the area, thus promoting a sense of community among Belmont residents. The Belmont Museum should also be developed further and a resource centre should be established, in order to preserve the rich history of the Belmont area through time.

In my opinion, a successful neighbourhood is one where the neighbours live harmoniously in a community with a sense of cohesion. This will facilitate social development within the area as individuals will establish a sense of kinship, and thus feel comfortable to utilize community-shared spaces for interaction. Physically, the community should also be adequately developed with infrastructure and necessary amenities required by residents, including good transport networks, communication lines and close proximity to health centres, parks, schools, churches, as well as  protective services such as police and fire stations. Upon development of the community, particular attention should be paid to land use planning in order to prevent later issues such as insufficient housing space for residents, traffic congestion or overly narrow roads, as experienced in Belmont. Moreover, residents themselves should ensure that the neighbourhood is kept clean, and pollution-free in order to inhibit any environmental degradation.

References:

Homer, Louis B. "From Freetown to Belmont." Trinidad Express Newspapers, February 24, 2013.

Homer, Louis. "History of Independence Square." Trinidad Express Newspapers, July 8, 2012.