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 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.