THE CROPPER FOUNDATION

Pos
Port of Spain
In this case study:
Section 1
Location & Topography
Port of Spain (POS) is a coastal city located on the north-western peninsula of Trinidad. It is situated on the
foothills of the Northern Range. Residential settlement in east Port of Spain (Belmont and Laventille) occurs on
slopes and ridges, but most of the city is situated on land which slopes gently toward the sea. The City of POS
Corporation Area extends from Cocorite in the west, to Maraval Valley in the north, to Laventille/ Morvant near
the boundary with Barataria in the east, and to the sea in the south. This area is also known as Greater Port of
Spain (GPOS).

Figure 1: Map of study area

However, the study area under consideration does not include all of the GPOS area, and only the following
areas are considered: Downtown and Uptown Port of Spain; Woodbrook; Tranquility; Newtown; Queen’s
Park Savanna; Sea Lots; Belmont and Gonzales; and Laventille.
Demographics
Population

Early records of POS (c.1757) describe it as a small fishing village with as few as 60 inhabitants.
Several events however, have changed both the physical and demographic structure of POS.
Some noteworthy events include:
• The settling of the Spaniards in the middle to late 1700s and the establishment of Port of Spain,
then called Puerto de d’España, as the capital and a major port for the country.
• The introduction of 24,000 slaves to POS in 1838 with the collapse of the Apprenticeship system.
• The introduction of East Indian indentured servants around 1845.
• Influx of Chinese immigrant labourers from 1853 to 1866.

These events, along with the influx of persons from surrounding islands and from other areas of the country, and
increasing infrastructural development quickly made POS one the most populous and racially diverse areas in
the country. In 2000, it was estimated in the Greater Port of Spain Local Area Plan (GPOSLAP) that the popula-
tion in the city ranged from 40,000 to 45,000. Data from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) in 2000 estimates
the population density of POS at 4,096 persons per km2. Although the population numbers of POS are high, the
Area Plan indicates that the rate of growth of individual households in POS is decreasing. This is due to out-mi-
gration to neighbouring areas, for example Diego Martin, Barataria and San Juan. The reasons for out-migration
of resident populations will be described in the section “Port of Spain – An Urban System”. The transient popu-
lation, which is the population that passes through the city, is estimated at 500,000 persons daily. This does not
mean that at any one time there are half a million persons in the city. Instead, it means that throughout the day
500,000 persons enter and/or exit POS. Some reasons for the high transient population include:
• The city acts as a major corridor from east to west.
• POS is the major centre for government and administrative activity.
• POS is the major commercial centre of Trinidad and Tobago.

The pattern of resident and transient population, however, is not unique to POS as a coastal city. Coastal cities
usually have high resident and transient populations. Estimates put average population density for coastal cities
at 80 persons per km2, which is about twice the global average.1 High population densities occur because:
• people derive food from coastal marine ecosystems;
• the oceans are critical for shipping and transport industries;
• the coast provides livelihoods through fishing and coastal service industries; and
• recreational activities such as fishing and diving occur on coasts.

1
Liz Creel, “Ripple Effects: Population and Coastal Regions”, Population Reference Bureau, 2003,

http://www.prb.org/Publications/PolicyBriefs/RippleEffectsPopulationandCoastaRegions.aspx
Note: Figures taken from the GPOSLAP may not be entirely relevant to the area used in this study.
This is one of the challenges faced when redesigning study areas for which discrete or disaggregated
information is not available.

Discussion
An excerpt from Climate Change in the Caribbean
Activity and the Challenge of Adaptation 2:
Identify coastal cities in the
Caribbean region and compare their Approximately 70 per cent of the Caribbean population lives
in coastal cities, towns and villages, a consequence of:
average population densities with the the abundance of relatively easy to navigate and, therefore,
average population densities for the very accessible natural harbours; the export-oriented econ-
respective country. omy; the importance of artesian fisheries; and the tourism
industry’s coastal focus. More than half the population lives
within 1.5 km of the coast and international airports, roads,
and capital cities are commonly situated along the coast.

• Why do coastal areas have high population densities?

• Why do coastal cities develop as large urban centres?
• How do coastal cities of small islands such as those in the Caribbean, compare with coastal
cities found in larger countries such as those in South-East Asia? Topics for consideration
may include population size, population density and history of development of the area.

Employment

Almost 40% of the jobs in POS are in

the government sector. This is a factor
to be considered in land use planning
if decentralisation is an option.

!
Figure 2: Distribution of jobs by type in Port of Spain, 1995-97 3

2
UNEP, “Climate Change in the Caribbean and the Challenge of Adaptation”, UNEP Regional Office for Latin

America and the Caribbean, Panama City, Panama, 2008.

3
UDeCOTT, “Greater Port of Spain Local Area Plan”, Halcrow Group Ltd. For Ministry of Housing and Settlements, Trinidad and Tobago, 2000.
History
Information for this section is drawn from literature on Port of Spain produced by Michael Anthony 4 in
1978 and Carlton Ottley 5 in 1962, and by a report on the urban history of Port of Spain produced by
Yvonne Dickman 6 in 1992.

A recent history of POS is provided to highlight some key events that helped to shape the physical structure and
influence much of what we know today as Port of Spain.

• In 1796 the name “Puerto de d’España” was changed to “Port of Spain” under British rule. Many of the
streets were given patriotic names such as Duncan, Nelson, and Duke. The Rio Santa Ana became
known as the St. Ann’s River.
• 1797 to 1802 saw two phases of development. In the first phase the boundaries of POS were established.
The boundaries were the East Dry River to the east, Richmond Street to the west, Park Street to the
north, and the sea to the south and south west. The second phase of development included the
designation of northward-running streets, starting with Henry Street and moving westward to Edward
Street.
• A major fire occurred in 1808 consuming most of the town from George Street in the east to St. Vincent
in the west, and from Duke Street in the north to Independence Square North in the south. In 1813 the
town of Port of Spain was rebuilt.
• In 1899 the boundaries of POS were extended to include Belmont, East Dry River and Woodbrook.
• In 1914 Port of Spain was declared a city.
• In 1917 St. Clair was incorporated into the boundaries of the city.
• In 1933 the East Dry River burst its banks due to torrential rain and caused flooding in POS.
• In 1934 the paving of the East Dry River was completed. This changed the hydrology of the river, and
also introduced a new corridor from southern to northern areas of Port of Spain.
• In 1935, Gonzales was incorporated into the city. Also in that year, vehicular traffic along Henry and
Frederick streets was restricted to one direction.
• Between 1937 and 1938 land was reclaimed from the sea in order to develop western areas of POS.
• In 1953 traffic lights were introduced in POS. This marked a significant advancement in traffic control
within the city.
• In 1987 a land use plan was developed for POS. The main objective of the plan was to repopulate the
city by constructing 1200 new dwellings by 1995 in Newtown, Uptown, Tranquillity and Downtown.
Other objectives included the refurbishing of Independence Square into tree-lined open spaces, with
shelters for commuters.
• On July 27 1990, members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen attempted to stage a coup d’état against the
government of Trinidad and Tobago. The police headquarters located on Sackville and Edward streets
were bombed and burnt.
• In 1993 and 2008, the East Dry River again burst its banks and flooded Downtown POS.

4
Michael Anthony, “The Making of Port of Spain”, (Port of Spain: Key Caribbean Publications, 1978).

5
Carlton Ottley, “The story of Port of Spain: capital of Trinidad, West Indies, from the earliest times to the present day”, (Diego Martin Trinidad: Crusoe P, 1962).

6
Yvonne R. Dickman, “An urban history of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago”, (Master of Urban Planning Research, McGill University, 1992).
Port of Spain - An Urban System
Urban systems are built environments with a high population density and are operationally defined as human
settlements with a minimum population density commonly in the range of 400 to 1000 persons per square
kilometre, minimum size of typically between 1,000 and 5,000 people. 7

Port of Spain is the most prominent urban centre in Trinidad and Tobago, housing many of the country’s com-
mercial, government and administrative services. Residential settlement both planned and unplanned is another
major land use in POS. Urbanisation of POS is taking place at a rapid rate, and is evident by the increasing
infrastructural development, resident and transient population. Pollution levels in POS, flood events, vehicular
traffic and crime are also increasing. These are common problems faced by many urbanised centres, and are
managed through urban planning and management. In discussing POS as an urban system, let us first look at
land use.

Residential Land Use

Residential settlements surround Downtown and Uptown POS. There are four main groups of settlement:
Group 1: Woodbrook, Tranquility and Newtown; Group 2: Belmont, Gonzales and Laventille; Group 3: Sea
Lots; Group 4: Inner-city housing. These areas are grouped because of their close proximity to each other, and
because they share similar socioeconomic issues like crime, land use development and history of development.

Group 1:
• Woodbrook was first settled in 1911 and was traditionally a middle class area. Although residential
settlement remains the prominent land use, commercial development is encroaching. Tragarete Road,
Ariapita Avenue and Wrightson Road are now predominantly commercial strips featuring restaurants, bars,
and furniture stores. The key issue in Woodbrook is the continuing commercialisation which is pushing
residents out to more distant suburban areas of POS. Security is a major issue as a result of
commercialisation. Commercial properties become targets for criminal activity in the evening when they
are vacant.
• Tranquility started as a predominantly middle income residential area, but presently features a mixture of
residential and commercial development. The area is developed in a grid pattern, and the plots are larger
than those in Woodbrook. Traffic congestion is a problem in Tranquility because roads were not expanded
and parking spaces not created to accommodate the increased vehicular traffic due to commercial
development.
• Newtown started as a predominantly middle income residential area, but presently features a mixture of
housing and commercial developments consisting of corporate offices and embassies around 4 to 6 storeys
in height. However, housing remains the dominant land use in Newtown. Like Woodbrook, Newtown faces
pressure from medium-density commercial development on residential sites.

Major trends: Potential loss of remaining residential development in

Tranquility and Newtown areas.

7
UNEP, “Our Human Planet: Summary for Decision Makers/ Millennium Ecosystem Assessment”, (USA: Island Press, 2005).
Group 2:
• Belmont and Gonzales started off as residential suburbs in the 1840s and 50s, and retain their residential
characteristic today. These two areas are known for their street patterns of narrow winding roads which
wander into lanes and abruptly end in valleys. 8 This pattern was the result of a rapid influx of population in
the 1880s and 90s. Many of the large houses previously occupied by the black professional class in Belmont
have been renovated and converted for commercial uses. Some parts of Gonzales (the higher ridges) are
unplanned, unsewered and there is no pipe-borne water except by the way of standpipes. 9

• Laventille is a residential district located on the rim of the city of POS on the slopes of the Northern Range.
The district is made up of a number of villages which include Trou Macaque, Success, Chinapoo, Prizgar
Lands and Picton Hill. The development of the settlement has been largely unplanned and features a
mixture of ad hoc houses, paved roads, unpaved tracks and steep steps. Because of unplanned development,
infrastructure like sewage and pipe-borne water is lacking in some parts and services like solid waste
collection is not always available. One of the major issues Laventille faces is crime; homicide and
drug-related activity are commonplace in some areas of Laventille. In spite of a largely negative character,
Laventille has been identified in the GPOSLAP as a cultural heritage site because of its context in the
history and evolution of Carnival and steel pan.

Group 3:
• Sea Lots is a squatter settlement with poor drainage and little or no infrastructure for sewerage or pipe-borne
water. The settlement is physically divided by the East Dry River (St. Ann’s River) into Sea Lots East and
West. Residents of the settlement derive livelihoods from jobs available on the adjacent waterfront and the
Sea Lots Industrial Centre.

Group 4:
• Inner-city housing settlements are located in the south-eastern section of Central POS. These settlements
include areas commonly known as the “Plannings” on Duncan, Nelson and George Streets along the East
Dry River and Charford Court. The “Plannings” were constructed under the Colonial Government’s Slum
Clearance Act of 1944, in order to improve the overcrowded conditions and dilapidated housing conditions.
Charford Court was one of the National Housing Authority’s (NHA) High Density Housing Projects.

A good reference – East Port of Spain Development Company Limited website available at
http://eposdctt.com/

8
Ralph Araujo, “Memoirs of a Belmont Boy”, (Trinidad: Imprint Caribbean, 1984).
9
Asad Mohammed, “Participatory Planning in East Port of Spain”, 39th ISoCARP Congress, 2003.
Commercial Land use
Port of Spain is the largest, and most important, commercial and retail centre in the country. Many headquarters
of large financial corporations, like major banks, as well as major commercial enterprises are located in POS.
The variety of commercial and retail stores include major shopping facilities – mainly along Frederick and
Henry streets, specialty stores, food shops, professional offices – located in POS and surrounding areas like
Woodbrook and Newtown. However, specific types of commercial and retail activity occupy particular areas of
POS. Let us look specifically at the Downtown and Uptown POS and the Waterfront.

• Downtown is the retail core of POS and features many stores selling a variety of goods.
There is street vending – on Charlotte and George Streets. There is some high and medium rise
commercial development, for example, Nicholas Tower that houses a variety of service industries.
Because Downtown is the centre of retail it experiences high pedestrian and vehicular traffic; we will
look at this issue in greater detail in the section “Issues”. The Central Business District (CBD) is located
in Downtown POS within the boundaries of Park Street, Independence Square, Richmond and Duncan
Streets.

!
Figure 3: First Citizens Bank Independence Square

!
Figure 4: Excellent City Centre
 !
Figure 5: Housing Development Corporation

!
Figure 6: Nicholas Tower

Trends: Some private sector development (finance and corporate firms) are moving out of
Downtown to the Uptown/Tranquility area and smaller businesses moving to Woodbrook.
Residents are moving out of Uptown and Tranquility to Woodbrook because of competition
from commercial industries.

Discussion:
What is the CBD and why is it located
in this specific area of POS?
• Uptown features less retail development than Downtown POS. Instead, larger corporations, embassies and
international agencies/companies dominate the commercial activity in this area. Traffic is a major issue in
this area, and will be explored in greater detail in the section “Urban Issues in Port of Spain”.

!
Figure 7: BP Building
• The Waterfront spans the coast from Sea Lots up to the Movie Towne Entertainment and Shopping Complex
located on the Audrey Jeffers Highway in the west. The port occupies part of the waterfront, and services
international cargo handling, cruise shipping facilities, towage and dredging services, the inter-island ferry
between Trinidad and Tobago, and the ferry from POS to San Fernando. The waterfront has undergone
recent development to include two 26 storey buildings, the Hyatt hotel with the largest conference facilities
in the Caribbean, a recreational park space, a parking lot and retail centres – most of which are currently
unoccupied.

Administrative Function
POS is the seat of government and is the centre of government’s administrative services. Many of the govern-
ment offices are located in Downtown POS within the CBD, for example, the Red House, City Hall and the
Hall of Justice. However, many government services are now moving out of the POS area to other areas such as
Tunapuna, Chaguanas and San Fernando in a process called decentralization. This is an effort to reduce some
of the traffic congestion that POS faces.

!
Figure 8: The Red House – the seat of government

!
Figure 9: Police Headquarters
Recreational Land Use
One of the notable recreational areas in POS is the Queen’s Park Savannah. The Savannah is an 82 hectare area
of open land covered with grass located on the outskirts of Uptown POS. It serves multiple uses including a site
for social, cultural and sport activities. One of the relatively unnoticed uses of the Savannah is as a water catch-
ment: the Water and Sewage Authority (WASA) pumps roughly one million gallons of water per day from this
aquifer to supply the Woodbrook and the General Hospital. 10
Other recreational spots include the Brian Lara Promenade, restaurants and bars, nightclubs, cineplexes and
sporting facilities located all around POS.

Transport
The major transport hub for the country – City Gate – is located to the south of POS. City Gate provides public
transport for fifty per cent of the population leaving POS to head to the east, central and south areas in Trinidad.
A number of smaller taxi stands are located within Downtown and Uptown POS for transport within and out of
POS.
Many of the major roads direct traffic into POS. For example, Mucurapo Road, Western Main Road, Wrightson
Road and the Beetham Highway form a corridor through Port of Spain. The Lady Young Road provides a ring
road around POS, for vehicles traversing from east to west of POS.

Activity
On a blank map of Port of Spain, use
symbols such as international travel
information symbols to identify
different land uses and activities.

Discussion
Can a pattern of land uses be identified? Does this pattern
conform to any models of urban structure, for example
Burgess, Hoyt, or Ullman and Harris?

10
UDeCOTT, “Greater Port of Spain Local Area Plan”, Halcrow Group Ltd. For Ministry of Housing and Settlements, Trinidad and Tobago, 2000.
Urban Issues In Port Of Spain
Many of the problems that are faced in POS are not unique to the area as an urban centre. The United Nations
Human Settlement Programme (UN HABITAT) highlights pollution and transport (traffic congestion) as two of
the leading problems that urban centres face. These are two major issues that POS faces along with periodic
flooding and crime. Crime will not be covered in this case study.

Figure 10: Links between urban characteristics of POS and urban issues

Traffic congestion
The concentration of commercial activities in a relatively small and compact area causes congestion and traffic-
related noise in the downtown area. Much of the traffic congestion in Downtown POS stems from the lack of
available parking spaces in the city. Double-parking often occurs along streets and brings traffic to a crawl or
complete standstill in certain areas of downtown. The high volume of pedestrian traffic, coupled with people
crossing roads in a haphazard manner also contributes to the traffic congestion.

The causes of traffic congestion uptown and in areas of Newtown, Tranquility and Woodbrook are similar to
those Downtown. Lack of parking space is a major problem in these areas, as they were not originally designed
for the high volume of vehicular activity due to increasing commercial activity. The roads themselves are also
quite narrow, so parking on the roads exacerbates the problem.

Discussion
What are some options for alleviating traffic in the
city? Have any of these options been successful in
other countries?
Flooding
Flooding is emerging as a major issue in POS. It usually occurs after brief rainfall events along South Quay,
Henry Street and the Brian Lara Promenade and recedes in about an hour. However, there have been occasions
when the East Dry River has burst its banks and caused widespread flooding in Downtown POS (See History).
The channel capacity of the East Dry River is adequate for the amount of water it carries, but the large volume
of sediments, garbage and debris in the channel reduces the capacity of the channel to accommodate large
volumes of water and hence flooding occurs. The sources of the debris and sediments are eroded material from
unplanned development of steep slopes and areas upstream of the East Dry River. It is probable that devegeta-
tion of the hillsides north of POS are contributing to flooding by:
• Accelerating sedimentation in the river channel because of increased erosion.
• Increasing volumes of surface water and greater velocity of runoff into the river channel.
These activities cannot be directly linked to flooding in the Downtown area and students should be careful about
making assertions about the causes of flooding. Pollution in the city’s drains also contributes to flooding.

At locations where the channel gradients become abruptly steep, for example where old land meets more recent-
ly reclaimed land, flooding occurs. Wrightson Road and South Quay are included in these areas.
In addition to the direct economic costs associated with flooding incidents, citizens are also increasingly expe-
riencing other effects which are less easy to put an economic value to. Hours spent in traffic jams or waiting for
public transportation; health implications; days lost from work; and time spent worrying about when and what
the next flooding event might bring can all have a significant impact on various aspects
of our well-being, and an increasing number of people are beginning to appreciate these.

Discussion
How does the storm hydrograph change for natural river
channels versus paved river channels?
Is flooding on reclaimed land a common problem in other
parts of the world? If yes how has it been dealt with?

Pollution
Aside from the large number of pedestrians and motorists being generally careless, and dumping their refuse in
the streets and on the sidewalks, there exists a larger solid waste problem. It is common practice to put garbage
bags into local communal storage bunkers and bins on a daily basis and rubbish may be stockpiled for several
days before it is collected. During this time animals and vagrants rummage through the rubbish and spread it
about, making collection extremely difficult and aggravating the pollution and health hazards associated with
storing waste that is awaiting collection. 11

Atmospheric pollution is also an issue in POS.

It has two main sources:
1. Concentration of vehicular emissions due to traffic congestion.
2. Fires at the Beetham landfill site create a serious smog problem in POS, especially in the morning.

Discussion
How do temperature inversions during the night, play
a role in creating smog over POS during the morning
periods? Consider the role of the built environment
(buildings, structures etc.) on the climate of cities
11
UDeCOTT 2000.
(urban climates) and air pollution.
Urban Planning
Effective urban planning is needed in POS to ensure that the issues inherent in being an urban centre have
minimal impact on the well-being of humans and on the environment. Urban planning involves coordination of
activities, provision and maintenance of infrastructure, and monitoring of existing planning schemes to ensure
their efficacy.

In the recent past many studies on urbanisation in POS have been carried out on behalf of the state to identify
problems and suggest solutions. Some of these include:

1. Redevelopment Plan for Port of Spain (1973), Town and Country Planning Division.

2. Participatory Planning in East Port of Spain (2003), 39th ISoCarp Congress.

3. Solid Waste Management in the City of Port of Spain Urban Management Programme

- A Baseline Study (2003), David W. Hinds and M. and D. Flores.

4. Greater Port of Spain Local Area Plan (2000), UDeCOTT.

5. East Port of Spain Strategic Development Plan (2007). East Port of Spain Development Company Limited.

6. A Comprehensive Urban Management Plan for the Central Business District of Port of Spain (2008),

Ministry of Local Government, GoRTT.

However, many of the recommendations have not achieved the desired results: while some areas or sections of
the country have benefited, others have stagnated or declined. 12 The reasons for the lack of success include:

• At the local level, exclusion of key stakeholders in the planning and implementation of projects affecting

their areas.

• At the municipal corporation level, shortage of resources, including human resources, to play a role in

development planning for their areas.

• At the central government level, unbalanced distribution of limited public sector funds.

It is not possible in this case study to look at every single aspect of urban management in terms of what has
been done and what needs to be done. Earlier in the case study some issues relating to POS as an urban centre
were identified; some options for dealing with these issues are presented below. These options are drawn from
the GPOSLAP.

12
Ibid
 Issue Options
! Fully pedestrianize streets with introduction of sidewalk canopies, shade trees,
lighting, seating, bins and crossing at street junctions – Frederick Street between
Independence Square and Woodford Square.
! Enhance pedestrian, visual, economic linkages by creating pedestrian priority
route along Independence Square to Waterfront development and Cruise Ship
Traffic
Complex by providing fixed crossing at Wrightson Road City Gateway site.
! Introduce road hierarchy; controlled parking zone; traffic management including
on-street parking restriction and enforcement of pedestrian priority.
! Promote office development in Downtown/ Uptown to relieve pressure on
Woodbrook.
! Prepare a catchment-wide structure plan for drainage; a key aspect of the plan
will be requirements for low-lying areas at South Quay/ Independence Square in
relation to the proposed Waterfront Development.
! Identify areas at risk from flooding and capable of being used to store flood
water.
! Construct detention ponds to store floodwaters in key locations. These should be
identified as part of a catchment-wide drainage structure plan. Detention ponds
should logically be located in areas that already flood frequently or areas
immediately upstream of such trouble spots, e.g. in the vicinity of the Queen’s
Park Savannah.
! Drains that are northward of Independence Square should not be allowed to
Flooding
empty into the South Quay or City Gate drainage complex. Any new
development should include a large drain that will channel flood water directly to
the sea.
! Upgrade street drains and install silt traps and trash racks in the drains. Some
drains in POS already have these, but they have been poorly constructed and are
not as effective as they could be.
! Identify areas that need to be protected from erosion. In protecting these areas by
slowing down flood flows, substantial detention storage can be achieved – check
dams can be utilised. Check dams are small dams placed in steep gullies to break
the speed of water flowing down these gullies in order to break the destructive
force of fast flowing water. Check dams can be vegetated.
! To alleviate the problems of storing waste while it is awaiting collection, provide
mobile compactor units instead of current metal bins and storage bunkers.
! Revamp proposal for deposits on glass and plastic bottles and an environmental
levy on batteries and tyres and other difficult to dispose of or recyclable items.
Pollution Draft legislation for this already exists, but there has been resistance to
implementation.
! Carry out detailed feasibility study on options for redeveloping the Beetham
Landfill site, including low tech/ high tech solutions and site remediation/ after
use possibilities
Box 2: Suggested options for dealing with issues in POS

Activity
Look through past development plans
for POS for proposed strategies for
dealing with some of these issues.
Discussion
How have past plans addressed some of these issues?
Can you make any recommendations for dealing with
some of these issues?

Note: Many of these issues are not isolated, and so any strategies to deal with issues must be complementary.
Suggested Activity
(See Generic Learning Activities: Conducting Surveys)
Objectives:
1. To familiarize students with data analysis.
2. To make students aware of the importance of public participation in urban planning.
Note that it may not be possible to complete an entire exercise in urban planning, and teachers should strive
to inform students – in theory – about other aspects of urban planning.

As part of a participatory planning exercise for urban planning, conduct a survey of persons who live, work and
commute into and out of POS. Get their opinion on the issues that POS faces as an urban centre, and try to get
them to suggest some recommendations for dealing with these issues.

Pool the class data and find an appropriate way to represent the information, such as a bar graph.
Use these results as inputs for the urban planning exercise. For example, 43% of the persons working in
POS would prefer if Frederick, Henry and Charlotte streets be pedestrianized between 7 am and 7 pm every day.
Remember that you are measuring people’s opinions, and it is not always feasible to attempt to meet everyone’s
requests. The process must involve prioritising, cost-benefit analysis, and meeting the greater public interest.

Other activities for POS could focus on:

• Urban environments and ecosystems. Consider the urban centre as an ecosystem where resources
are consumed and wastes are produced. Resources such as food, water and energy may be sourced
from areas surrounding the urban centre.
• Urban habitats for animals and plants.
• Urban climates.
• Coastal cities and sea level rise resulting from global climate change.

Bibliography
Alkins-Koo, Mary. 2003-2007.
Case Study - Port of Spain. BIOL 2461,
Dept. Of Life Sciences, University of the
West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Dickman, Yvonne R. 1992. An urban history
of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Master of Urban Planning Research,
McGill University.

Anthony, Michael. 1978. The Making of Port of
Spain. Port of Spain, Trinidad: Key Caribbean
Publications.
Araujo, Ralph. 1984. Memoirs of a Belmont Boy.
Trinidad: Inprint Caribbean.
Creel, Liz. 2003. Ripple Effects: Population and
Coastal Regions. Population Reference Bureau.
http://www.prb.org/Publications/PolicyBriefs/Rip-
pleEffectsPopulationandCoastaRegions.aspx
[accessed June 13, 2009]
Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Urban Planning.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/
topic/619445/urban-planning
[accessed July 20 2009]
Mohammed, Asad. 2003. Participatory Planning in
East Port of Spain. 39th ISoCarp Congress.
Ottley, Carlton Robert. 1962.
The story of Port of Spain: capital of Trinidad,
West Indies, from the earliest times to the present
day. Diego Martin, Trinidad: Crusoe P.
The Cropper Foundation (TCF). 2009. UNEP. 2008. Climate Change in the Caribbean
Sustainable Development Terms and Concepts: and the Challenge of Adaptation.
A Reference for Teachers and Students. UNEP Regional Office for Latin America and the
Port of Spain, Trinidad. Caribbean, Panama City, Panama.

UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). Urban Development Corporation on Trinidad and
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Makers/ Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Local Area Plan. Halcrow Group (Trinidad and To-
USA: Island Press. bago) Ltd. for Ministry of Housing and Settlements.

APPENDIX A: Acronyms used in this case study

CBD Central Business District

CSO Central Statistical Office
GPOS Greater Port of Spain
GPOSLAP Greater Port of Spain Local Area Plan
ISoCARP International Society of City and Regional Planners
NHA National Housing Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
POS Port of Spain
QPS Queens Park Savannah
UDeCOTT Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago
UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
WASA Water and Sewage Authority of Trinidad and Tobago

APPENDIX B: Glossary of terms used in the case study

Decentralisation The movement of power, professionals and resources from urban cores to surrounding
less-urban areas.
Population density The total number of inhabitants per square unit of surface area.
Resident The population which occupies a specific area for a prolonged period of time.
population For example, persons living in an area. No period of time has been designated as this
term can be used on a relative basis.
Suburb A residential area within the boundaries of a town or a city.
Transient The population that passes through a specific area, or stays in a specific area for a short
population period of time, such as for a workday.
Urban Living in or situated in a town or city.
Urbanization An increase in the proportion of population living in urban areas.
Urban planning The design and regulation of the uses of space that focus on the physical form, economic
functions, and social impacts of the urban environment and on the location of different
activities within it.