My theme Urban Tourism has been interlinked with many of my course colleagues' blogs such as 'The Art of Urban' by Denique Sammy, 'Trini urban Insomnia' by Surya Khudan and 'The Urban Cultural Dimension' by C. A Maloney.
Urban Toursim was made up of different components of Art, Recreation/ Nightlife and Urban Culture. Tourism in the city was reflective of Urban Art such as Grafitti, Urban Nightlife and recreation and urban culture. These other themes captured the essence of Urban Tourism as D. Sammy spoke about Art being 'evolutionary' and representative of many urban issues such as Politics. She stressed on these Urban art pieces being reflective of one self and culture of the city, a topic that i also linked Urban Tourism too.
The Blog 'Urban Cultural Dimension' emphasized on the cultural aspect of tourism in which culture in the city was used to promote urban tourism. Similar blogs such as the post on the Church indicated that there was a link between our themes as culture is part of tourism in the urban city of Port of Spain. C. A Maloney focused on both the physical and social aspect of the city while i emphasized more on the physical structures and architecture in addition to the culture.
Lastly, 'Trini Urban Insomnia' further explored recreation in the city where S. Khudan looked at the Night life of Port of Spain, an area where i was a bit skeptical of exploring. Her blog focused more on the night time recreation of the city which is also very significant to Urban Tourism as many tourists in the city look for recreation not only during the day but the night time.
These 3 blogs did show a relationship with my core theme of Urban Tourism as their posts were sub components as they further explored each component of art, recreation/ nightlife and culture.
For a proper sequence of my blog please read my posts in the order in which they were posted! Thank you!
Friday 11 April 2014
Entertainment in the city!
Movie Towne Port of Spain
The above photo shows a multi-million dollar cinema complex built in the urban city to accommodate the recreational needs of the people and tourists of urban area. Movie Towne is well known for its entertainment and complex shopping areas and has a major role to play in the lives of many who look forward to watching a movie, getting something to eat or shopping for an item.
Currently, we have reached the 'Creative Age' where leisure and recreation is changing and people are now working in new ventures such as the creative industries (Florida 2002). Therefore, places such as these bring in economic value to a city as it caters for both foreigners and tourists. Located next to Movie towne is the Marriott Hotel and this itself indicates that Movie Towne caters for Marriott's guests contributing to the idea of Urban Tourism.
References
Florida R. 2002. The Rise of the Creative Class and How it's Transforming Work, Leisure and Everyday Life. New York: Basic Books.
Artwork in the City!
Beautifying the city!- Paintings along Wrightson Road, POS
While driving along Wrightson Road in Port of Spain, these master pieces caught my attention immediately. The paintings placed along the road in the urban city definitely mirrors the diverse culture of the country in addition to showcasing the talent of the youths in the country.
The paintings which displays one of the themes of preserving the
environment can very much be associated with caring for the city and the
environment around us. These paintings are not only an attraction but they
promote sustainability in the city and being environmentally conscious about
our surroundings (Hall 2012).
References
Hall,T. 2012. Urban Geography 4th Edition. New York: Routledge.
Rees, E. William. 1992. “Ecological Footprints and
appropriated Carrying Capacity: What Urban
Economics Leaves Out.” Environment
and Urbanization 4, 2.
The Museum!- Traditional Tourism
The National Museum and Art Gallery!
The photo shows the outside structure of the museum of
Trinidad and Tobago that was taken on an urban geography field trip to the
city.
A museum is symbolic of integrating culture within a city as
it portrays the heritage of a city and its people (Hall 2012). In more
developed countries in the Global North, Museums are a major attraction in the
city as it usually stores the rich heritage and history of the country and its
people. In Trinidad however, museums are not considered popular tourist attractions
for foreigners as they are more intrigued by the sun sand and sea. However,
tourists that are interested in the heritage and culture of the country will
visit to learn more about the country and Port of Spain in particular. Major
cities around the globe are known to have these museums and are the homes to
these cultural attractions.
The National Museum, originally established as the Royal
Victoria Institute was originally built to display the culture of Trinidad and Tobago
and was built in commemoration of Queen Victoria. The Museum is representative
of the architecture in the early 1900’s and culture of the city during Colonial
times. Therefore, the Museum is rich with culture and artefacts that would be
informative to both locals and foreigners and is traditional to many cities
around the world. This structure has played a major role in relating heritage and culture of the twin island to
others and being an iconic feature of the urban city.
For more information on the National Museum you can visit:
http://www.nmag.gov.tt/content/national-museum-trinidad-tobago-0
References
Hall,T. 2012. Urban Geography 4th Edition. New York:
Routledge.
The National
Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago. Accessed April 8, 2014. http://www.nmag.gov.tt/content/national-museum-trinidad-tobago-0
More recreation in the City- Green Spaces!
The Botanical Gardens
In the photo, a group of women are seen strolling in the
botanical gardens enjoying the serenity of the environment in this urban area
of Port of Spain. In this case, urbanization did not only result in the
construction and expansion of businesses and workplaces but the creation of
green spaces within the city. Bordering the Queen’s Park Savannah, lies the
Emperor Valley Zoo and the Botanical Gardens where many go to have leisure in
the city.
In the photo, the lush vegetation and trees does indeed give
the idea of a ‘green space’ and the concept of ‘greening the city’. The trees
and plants grown here play an important role in “moderating the impacts of
human activities” (Haughton and Hunter 1994, 118). The Botanical gardens
represent a planned type of green space as this was part of the city plan and
did not happen naturally as many of the greenery were put there. However, these
planned spaces can be condemned as some theorists see this as a way of
suppressing plant diversity and not letting nature happens on its own (Hough
1995). Nevertheless, I see the botanical gardens as a valued green space in the
city that should remain as it is as still provides a green, peaceful atmosphere
in which one can go and enjoy the hassle free environment. This has contributed
to Urban Tourism positively as many tourists both local and foreign can visit
and see a diverse amount of tree species that gives aesthetic value to the
city. This is indeed an asset to city planning as it provides hassle free zone
in the urban area where the trees can provide a peaceful environment and also
take away from the negative impacts of urbanization as the trees provide
ecosystem services for the city.
For more information on green spaces you can visit: http://youtu.be/Y332SeVd-F0
For more information on green spaces you can visit: http://youtu.be/Y332SeVd-F0
References
Hall,T. 2012. Urban Geography 4th Edition. New York:
Routledge.
Haughton, G and Hunter, C. 1994. Sustainable Cities. London: Regional Studies Association.
Hough, M. 1995. Cities and Natural processes. London: Routledge.
Hotels in the City!
Hotels in the City!
Hotels functions as one of the main components of urban
tourism. Without these where would the tourists stay? Hotels provide
accommodation for both leisure and business tourists. However, in the city
there will more likely be the influx of many co-operate tourists entering the
city to conduct business. In this image is one of Port of Spain’s largest
hotels, the Hyatt Regency. As one can see, this is one high rise modern structure
with contemporary design and architecture, a feature that makes it unique to
the city and Urban Tourism!
The architecture of these hotels as well as other businesses
and offices in the city can be seen as a good reflection of a country’s
economy. The architecture and structure of these buildings indicate the state
of the economy as many modernized and newly renovated/built structures indicate
a healthy and striving economy (Hall 2012). In comparison to the buildings that
were constructed in P.O.S in the early 1900’s, the design and architecture have
changed significantly in terms of materials and workmanship.
In the photo, glass was seen to be the prominent material used
in constructing the hotel and so has a very modernised ‘urban’ look to it. When
P.O.S was now being developed, the main material used was timber to the current
use of steel, glass and concrete. With the city being greatly affected by the
globalization movement, architecture is ‘used as a tool for economic
development within the city’ (Harvey 1989).
Here is a link to view more Urban designed Hotels in the U.S.A
References
Hall,T. 2012. Urban Geography 4th Edition. New York:
Routledge.
Harvey, D. 1989. The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change. Blackwell: Oxford
Monday 24 March 2014
Field trip to Port-of-Spain & Belmont
On our walk about to Port of Spain and Belmont, both the
city and suburban area were speculated and place checks were done on the two
locations. Using this method, everyone was able to have their own opinions on
the place check areas and look at both positive and negative aspects of the
areas.
Place Check:
CBD of Port of Spain
The Central Business District (CBD) of Port-of- Spain is definitely
the heart of the city where all the action takes place and most businesses are
concentrated. When walking around in the CBD area, a lot of good aspects of the
city were seen. There were the presence of many food places, clothing stores
and the Brian Lara Promenade which provided benches and a place to relax. However,
lot of issues were also noted such as problems of pollution, homelessness, the negligence
of buildings and disparities in the city was a major concern.
The Brian Lara Promenade was one of the good aspects of the city as it provided a sense of community as there were available benches, tables with chequered boards, music and vendors in and outside of the promenade. The atmosphere was quite cooler than on the streets and the trees provided a more relaxing environment. What I also liked about the city was the vast availability of food places especially the local restaurants and this was seen alongside the streets of P.O.S where a wide variety of local cuisine was sold.
The Brian Lara Promenade was one of the good aspects of the city as it provided a sense of community as there were available benches, tables with chequered boards, music and vendors in and outside of the promenade. The atmosphere was quite cooler than on the streets and the trees provided a more relaxing environment. What I also liked about the city was the vast availability of food places especially the local restaurants and this was seen alongside the streets of P.O.S where a wide variety of local cuisine was sold.
The image below shows the Brian Lara Promenade and a man
walking his bird in the midst of the hustle and bustle. This gives the idea that people still come out in the city for leisure purposes despite the busy atmosphere and uses this area for leisurely purposes.
The image below shows a comparison of buildings in the CBD
and outside of the CBD Area.
One of the major issues seen in POS is the disparities within
the city in terms neglected parts of the town and areas that are given too much
emphasis by the governments. These two photos are juxtapositioned side by side
to each other to show a comparison between two parts of the city that lies approximately
no more than 1km of each other. Image 1 shows the waterfront area and its high
rise buildings that cater for the elite and wealthy in the city. Image 2 was
taken in the Central Business District (CBD) of POS where the building looks dilapidated
and run down and this clearly shows that development is only focused on exclusive
areas of the city where business and diplomatic operations are put on the fore
front.
Pollution was also a major eye sore in the city as many streets
and drains were filled with garbage. In addition, homelessness was rampant with
many vagrants lying on the streets making it uncomfortable for pedestrians and
shoppers to walk on the streets.
In the CBD of P.O.S, the recreational areas and activities are a great benefit to the people of the city as they can relax on the benches in the Promenade while taking a shopping break or even just to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. This is a commodity to the city and should be maintained whereas the problems of pollution and homelessness in the city need to be dealt with as these issues can be a turnoff for businesses and shoppers coming in to the city. Therefore, the city co-operation can do more to alleviate this issues of garbage on the streets and social services can help to get the homeless persons off the roads and pavements.
Place Check: Belmont
Belmont,
the suburbs of POS is filled with history and many significant village
landmarks. We were fortunate to tour the area visiting these places that are
currently being preserved. What I really liked about Belmont was the historical
aspect as it is originally known as Freetown, the first emancipation village in
Trinidad. Therefore, the area was full of heritage and culture that was brought
down from the African Slaves. A taste of Belmont’s culture was gathered from
the visits to the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, the Ken Morris Mas Camp and the Rada Community.
The image below shows the Trinidad Theatre Workshop located in Belmont.
During the walk about in Belmont, the area seemed very old
fashioned with narrow roads and houses built close to each other. In comparison
to the city of P.O.S not much development in relation to infrastructure was
seen. This community has grown since the Emancipation of slaves and so a lot of
culture is still embedded within the area. However, villagers argued that the
culture is being slowly erased as Glendon Morris, from the Ken Morris Mas Camp pointed
out when we visited the camp. A lot of his work is now being lost in today’s Carnival
as the camp specialises in copper work and traditional costumes which is now
being replaced by the other ‘modern’ concepts.
Cultural Erasure was the major issue in Belmont in addition to the poor infrastructure such as the dilapidated houses and small roads. Urban planning needs to be put into place for this Suburban area as there are also emerging businesses in the area and the people of Belmont needs to feel like they have not been left behind in terms of development in their neighbourhood.
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