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
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