Last Lap: Thoughts, Reflections, Conclusion

My City Dwellings Photo Blog

Well this is the last lap; it’s my 11th and final blog post which shares my thoughts and reflections which discusses the relationship of my core theme to some of my colleagues’ blogs. My photo blog ‘Urban Dwellings’ was intended to showcase the different types of houses located in urban areas of Trinidad. My theme encompassed these main topics of the urban:
• Development
• Homelessness
• Apartment Buildings
• Slums
• Public Housing
• Abandoned Houses
• Luxury Apartments
• Disparities between Rich and Poor
• Single Family Housing
• The Modern City

I must admit to this being possibly the most creative and inspiring Urban Geography (GEOG 2007) assignment. It has truly helped in my understanding of the urban, not only through the research done on my topic but also from all of my classmates’ captivating and insightful blogs which encompassed every and anything to do with the urban. Everyone has a different perception of the city due to its vast diversity and dynamics. It was most fascinating to see the wide variety of themes my peers had as well as the differences and similarities to my blog. My reflection is based on a few of my colleagues’ blogs which were related to mines, in some cases expressing differing or similar perceptions of urban dwellings.

       1) Vanessa Williams Blog : Disparity
      http://wealthycontradiction.blogspot.com/

      I chose Vanessa’s Blog since it was directly related to my post on Disparities between rich and poor Her entire blog expanded on my one blog entry and her photos represented her theme beautifully. In my entry I dealt with the stark differences of wealth in this country displayed through housing. This is similarly seen in Vanessa’s post where dwellings were the most significant part of her overall theme since it’s most obvious through residential structure. In her third and fourth entries she looked at the direct contrast between the rich and poor in terms of housing and inequality of wealth. She analysed residential segregation with regards to the inability to afford housing of better standards and conditions (poor) as well as on the other end of the continuum (rich) in gated communities. Interestingly she dealt with this in two separate entries while I showcased mines in one, to show the thin diving line of wealth.

      2) Tamara Atwaroo’s Blog : I am not homeless 

           http://sincasa-tnt.blogspot.com/ 

      Similarly Tamara’s entire blog expanded on my single blog post on Homelessness: No where to go which dealt with the issue of homelessness in the city, the importance of housing and causes of homelessness. Her writing and personal experiences really intrigued me as I read her blog. She explored many aspects of the homeless in the urban and what exactly it means to be homeless. Her very comical yet insightful blog has really broadened my scope of knowledge about the homeless and provoked my thoughts and actions regarding them in future. I really enjoyed her post “You can dance if you want to”.

      3) Zakita Bethel’s Blog : Architecture and Subversion     

         http://casasubversion.blogspot.com/

      Zakita’s Blog was mainly focused on urban architecture and images of the subversion within the urban of Trinidad and Tobago however there was one post that really stood out to me and related directly to my blog. Her entry "I need me a house to shelter from the rain" had a direct correlation to my post on "Public Housing: A chance for all" In her post she speaks of architecture for housing which tells much about the city, especially its economic status and the level of social welfare given to citizens, whereas I looked at it from a different point of view. The principle of design for beauty and enrichment is too seldom used in the design of housing for low income families because of the poverty of imagination and not the shortage of money. In her same post we shared the similar view of architecture being practical for the user and the design of such buildings play a great role in dictating how people interact with space, as in my post "City of Towers". Her photos were full of meaning and her writing was very captivating and enjoyable, she also filled in where I left out.

I would like to sincerely thank all the people who supported me, visited, critiqued and commented on my blog. I really hope that you all enjoyed my blog and learnt a little more about the urban in my country Trinidad and Tobago. Thanks for the opportunity Dr. K and thank you all for reading! :)

Nirvana

The Modern City....A mosaic....

The City At Night

The city is very beautiful at night.
To see the shimmering lights
In the buildings around,
Beacons to the minds eye.

The cars slide through the dark

And then disappear again

Into the dark corners of the night.

The people weave in and out

Of the fabric of the night air,

Appearing briefly as a

Silhouetted puppets in the nights sky.

The city is always very beautiful at night.

Charlie F. Kane

(i) This picture does not come anywhere close to doing justice to this amazing view at night. My family took me to Mount Saint Benedict, situated high in the Northern Range, since I’d never been there before. This place is visible for miles and I always displayed an interest in wanting to visit the Roman Catholic Church. When we finally arrived at the top, a most breath taking view greeted us! A panoramic view of the Tunapuna, St Augustine and Piarco area. We could see buildings for miles and miles away and immediately I thought about it being perfect for my blog! This particular picture which was taken later at night really encompassed the urban as being multifaceted, diverse place and truly beautiful place. It may not be clear to see (see picture below) but during the daylight a wide variety of different houses, household types and settlements can be seen ranging from all different socio-economic classes showcasing a distinctive montage. Every single photo from my previous posts in this blog is all encompassed in this mosaic! 

Photo I took  from Mount St Benedict showing a view of St Augustine, Tunapuna and  Piarco during the day time

(ii) The city is a mosaic with distinct residential patterns, where certain household types occupy particular niches. The modern city is a highly complex, disorganised and heterogeneous place, yet these early researchers discovered that rather than resulting in a jumbled mass of people, the modern city displayed a distinct mosaic, with certain household types occupying particular niches in the city. A similar patterning or clustering of particular group had been highlighted by the Chicago School in their study of the city in the 1920s. The key points to emerge from the huge volume of empirical research undertaken were the affirmation of socio-economic status, family status and ethnic status as key dimensions underpinning residential differentiation and a general consistency in the spatial expression of these dimensions in the great majority of cities in the developed, industrial world (Knox and Pinch 2010). Socio-economic status displayed an essential sectoral pattern, family status a zonal gradient and ethnicity a clustered patter. These factors were incorporated into an idealized model of urban ecological structure by Murdie (1969), although his model also acknowledged that in reality the city’s ecological structure was the result of detailed interaction with the city’s morphology and other local conditions.

References

Hall, Tim, and Heather Barrett .2012. Urban Geography. London and New York: Routledge Publishing.                      

Here is some additional information: 

For some extra readings check out "Imagining the Modern City"- James Donald

http://italianstudies.nd.edu/assets/68854/donald.pdf

This song really captures the essence of the modern city, have a listen!

I would like to sincerely thank my best friend Salz for all the support, critiques and thoughts on my blog! Thank you!

Wealth - A dividing line

The world is richer than ever, and the gaps between rich and poor are wider - Anna Lindh

RICH AND POOR

The gap between the rich and poor expanding getting bigger by the day

But in a fair and just society things would never be this way
Those born into a poor family are forsaken by the gods
And if they wish to be successful they must fight against all odds.

In the slum parts of the city you will only see decay

Homes and gardens looking shabby everything look old and gray
Ninety per cent live off welfare and those with jobs work for low pay
And all would choose to be born elsewhere if in their births they had a say.

In the yuppies part of the city things are very different there
Brand new homes and well kept gardens, new cars they drive and new suits they wear
Children of affluent parents and advantaged from the start
The slum end only three miles distant seems a continent apart.

Life is hard and never easy for those from the slum parts of town
And it is hard to be successful with others trying to drag you down
Most employers do not want to know you your address your enemy
But do not count yourself a failure if you are born into poverty.

The gap between the rich and poor expanding getting bigger by the day
But in a fair and just society things would never be this way
Those who speak that all are equal in god's eyes are talking rot
For the people of the slum parts it would seem by god forgot. 

Francis Duggan

(i) The stark differences in wealth in our country is very difficult to overlook. This picture was taken in San Fernando while I was walking through Irving park, waiting on my brother from extra classes and these two houses just stood out to me. The big, pink concrete house had air condition, a new roof, proper guttering and was surrounded by a wall and gate. The other was an older, poorly maintained wooden house with broken windows, an old galvanise roof with holes and was enclosed by a “make shift” wall made of used galvanise and an old iron gate which was literally falling apart.  One so new and one so old, on both ends of the extreme. I wondered to myself, how do the people in the pink house feel about living next to people of a lower socio-economic class? How do the peple living in the old wooden house feel abo\out living next to people of a higher socio economic class? Do they really have a choice? Should they really be segregated? This sight is actually common throughout Trinidad, of course except in gated communities and exclusive high class areas.

Source: http://capitalismisover.com/census-finds-record-gap-between-rich-and-poor/

(ii) Globalization especially hurts the poor

Critics: Globalization is a process through which the rich get richer and the poor become poorer. A recent report by the World Bank on income disparities between households, found there was evidence that the gap between rich and poor is widening. Betweem 1988 and 1993, the poorest 5% lost almost 25% of their incomes whereas the incomes of the rickets 5% grew by 12%. More than 1 billion people (20%of the global population) live on less than $1 per day and this figure is increasing, whereas there are now 358 dollar billionaires and this elite club is likely to increase. The report concludes that the middle class in many developing countries is disappearing and the increasing gap between rich and poor in developing countries may lead to the collapse if nations.

Advocates: According to studies by economists from Harvard and the World Bank, it had been shown that increased export trade and engagement in the process of market liberalization have been the main factors in increasing wealth across the world. Over the past 40 years, the poor have benefited considerably in most countries and particularly in developing countries. Although sceptics refute this argument on the basis that regression analysis is too easily manipulated, advocates claim there is growing, irrefutable evidence to show that globalization has a net positive affect on the income of all, both the rich and poor, in all of those countries that have embraced the globalized market system. Advocates further argue that there has been no other system, which has achieved such rapid rates of poverty alleviation as this latest round of global market reform. Advocates concede that the notable exceptions to this rule are some of the African counties where growth is not evident and it is argued that this has been because governments have neither embraced market reforms nor supported globalization and their peoples have therefore been excluded from the benefits.

Disparities between rich and poor in Rio de Janeiro
Source : morgarruya.blogspot.com

References

Robbins, P. and R.S.B. Ferris.2003. The Impact of Globalization on the Agricultural Sectors of East and Central African Countries. Nigeria: IITA.

(iii) Here is some extra information which will help in understanding this topic:

Programmes the government implemented to help bridge the gap between the rich and poor: http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2005-07-22/Womanwise/wwise1.html

Enjoy this video thought it really captured the essence of this topic.

A place to call home :)

Most if the population of approximately 1.15 million persons in the island of Trinidad live in single family dwellings. 

(i) This neat little abode is located on Purcell Street in San Fernando. Its simplicity really caught my eyes and to me represented a typical single family house. Housing is a basic physiological need as well as important symbolically. Also adequate housing is a human right. The houses around the area had a similar layout with porch upstairs and a garage downstairs and most were two stories high. It looks like a flat house from this angle but there is another floor underneath on the sloping terrain. The interwoven panel fence conceals the tiny garage on the side of the house which possible allows about 2 cars to fit one behind the other. This home seems very comfortable and appears to provide this a basic household with the basic necessities for instance water and shelter. Where the dwelling is located can shape your access to resources. In this case it was located near many resources including San Fernando General Hospital, Naparima Girls High School, many pharmacies, bakeries and supermarkets. This prime location is in close proximity to most things and will be an ideal spot to live in. Think about your future house, what would it look like and where it may be located (also keep in mind that the price of land in this country is sky rocketing...).

Original Painting by Jill’s Dream on Etsy

(ii) Single family houses are more common in Trinidad and Tobago thanx townhouses or apartment buildings; however, in recent times the real estate developers have tended to construct more apartment complexes and townhouses. These are being provided with full security guard services. The type of dwelling within suburbs has been relatively uniforms until recently, with single family dwellings dominating. Key changes have been the incorporation of garages into these buildings as the ownership of motor cars has increased, and more recently a greater variety of dwelling types, including smaller homes and apartments, as the demographic structure of many western societies has changed to include more single-person households. Recent research has also begun to highlight processes and forms of adaptation to suburbs at the micro scale, including intensification of plot use through infill alterations to single family dwellings, including extensions and conversions to apartments (Hall and Barrett, 2012).

References

Hall, Tim, and Heather Barrett .2012. Urban Geography. London and New York: Routledge Publishing.

http://www.discover-tt.net/business/expatriate_living_culture_tourism.html

(iii) Additional Information

Opopune Housing Development – 54 single family homes in this community

http://www.udecott.com/index.php/cc/cc_project_item/oropune_housing_development/

New housing developments in Arima -

http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2006-02-28/bussguardian1.html

Construction Practices and Seismic Vulnerability: Typical Single Family Dwellings in Trinidad - http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/pdf/eng/doc6003/doc6003-contenido.pdf

Here is a short interview on investing in single family homes:

Living it Large

Luxury may possible contribute to give bread to the poor; but if there were no luxury, there would be no poor - Henry Home

(i) This photo was taken of “The Towers” in West Moorings which is a residential area in the West of the island of Trinidad and Tobago. This suburb consists of mainly upper middle class to upper class families and it’s generally known throughout the country for its upscale housing. These tall majestic towers stood out to be because of its high standards of design, facilities and services offered. I could only imagine the spectacular panoramic view of the city,mountains and the ocean that the residents enjoy. Located on the ocean front, each remarkably spacious residence will have a superb ensemble of contemporary living spaces incorporating every luxury one can desire. These exclusive buildings will be in high demand from the executives in the ever expanding energy sector in Trinidad. Some of the amenities include valet services, luxurious infinity edge swimming pool, well appointed gym and wellness centre, and 24 hour security.

(ii) Flagship projects of urban regeneration frequently include programmed of housing provision or renovation. Waterfront developments typically use the legacy of distinctive architecture and original features, converting them into, for example luxury housing. Again, they are aimed at luring professionals. This accommodation does nothing to solve housing and accommodation crises among the local poor populations, who are unable to take advantage of these developments. Housing developed in association with such projects of urban regeneration tends to be inappropriate to local populations on a number of counts. First, it is far too expensive. The majority, often 80 per cent, of this housing is owner-occupied (Hall 2006).

References

Hall, Tiim. 2006. Urban Geography 3^rd Ed. New York: Routledge Publishing.

Luxury Apartments in Trinidad

Source: TrinidadRealtor.com

(iii) Here are some links which may interest you:

Luxury Apartments Tower by Orange Architects:

http://www.urukia.com/beirut-luxury-cube-tower-orange-architects/

Landmark Luxury Apartment Building designed by Swiss architects

http://www.designbuzz.com/beirut-terraces-landmark-luxury-apartment-building-salutes-lebanese-optimism/

The Renaissance at Shorelands

Abandoned Houses

Abandoned House

Abandoned house standing in the overgrown path
with faded gray sideboards,
that were once bright white with life

Shutters hanging at awkward angles,
flapping in the wind,
banging against the house with creaking determination.

Darkened dusty windows
looking sad and lonely,
yet forbidding entry to passersby,

Door hanging ajar on its hinges,
as if the last exit was in haste.
Sagging roof with missing tiles,
handing gutter proof of neglect for many years.

Rotted porch,
sagging downward
with scattered broken furniture,
covered with cobwebs and debris.

Life has come and life has gone.
Time has gone by
with no one to tend it,
happiness in its past,
for it will never feel love again

By: Anne Crawford

(i) While driving I immediately recognised that something was amiss. I took this picture in San Fernando in the heart of the city. My eyes became so accustomed to seeing newly refurbished buildings, huge concrete structures as well as glass buildings that this old bedraggled house really caught my attention. It was surrounded by other buildings at the other extreme of its nature and seemed very “out of place” for a lack of a better term. The unpainted two story wooden structure was in such a deplorable and decrepit state; almost as if a strong breeze blew it would topple over. The aged dwelling has old and rusty galvanize and broken and rickety windows. The structure is overtake by grass and is enclosed by a ramshackle fence and rickety gate. It is no longer in a livable condition for people but seems great for stray dogs.  There is something so sad about an abandoned house, you cannot help but think of the waste, or of the happy times once spent there. These abandoned buildings should be turned into something more useful instead of occupying prime land in the city. Regeneration of these old areas will be changing the face of the urban.

(ii) Gentrification can be broadly defined as ‘the transformation of a working-class or vacant area of the central city into middle-class residential and/or commercial use’ (Lee et al. 2008: xv). Drawing on Marxist understandings of the city, Smith (1996) has argued that gentrification occurs where a ‘rent gap’ exists, which is the disparity between the potential rents that could be commanded by dilapidated inner city properties or vacant land when redeveloped and the actual; rents being obtained. Where significant gap opens up as a result of inner city decline, it becomes profitable for developers to buy up properties cheaply, refurbish them and sell them on for a significant profit. However, critics of this perspective note that while rent gaps exist in many cities and city areas, not all become gentrified, so suggesting that other factors are important in these processes. David Ley (1996) points to the importance of the emergence of a new middle- class or creative class (Florida 2004) in many cities, linked to the growth of producer service jobs and cultural industries within these cities. These groups seek lifestyles different to the conformity of the suburbs and are drawn to diverse and vibrant cultural opportunities available in urban centres, seeking to live close to these opportunities and therefore leading to the gentrification of inner city neighbourhoods. Also gentrification may be facilitated through the actions of local urban managers and policies, where gentrification is championed as a key component of the urban renaissance ambitions of those cities seeking to revive their fortunes (Lees 2003; Wyly and Hammel 2005).

References:

Hall, Tim, and Heather Barrett .2012. Urban Geography. London and New York: Routledge Publishing.

(iii) Take a look at some of this additional information:

Abandoned buildings to come down by order of mayor of Port-of-Spain:
http://guardian.co.tt/news/2011/02/01/abandoned-buildings-come-down

Have a listen to this song on abandoned houses (can play while reading blog to put you in that frame of mind J)

Public Housing - A Chance For All

(i) While driving along the Lady Young Road, trying to avoid the city’s traffic, I spotted these apartment buildings. They seemed so mundane and depressing. I thought to myself, how do the residents of these apartments feel about their dwellings? You can see if you look closely that in an effort to beautify their small outdoor space, the porch, they hung potted plants, colourful flowering plants, decorative lights and painted the limited wall space in different colours. These low income housing cater for citizens of the lower-socio economic class (low annual household income) including those who cannot afford their own homes at present or those who want some sort of independence from their families. There are many such housing programs that are privately, state, or federally operated and funded. The purpose of it is to provide places for people to live at a reasonable cost for them to afford.

Source: http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?t=42140

(ii) This economic exclusion is translated into exclusion from many areas of city life. This underclass consists of both waged and unwaged poor, a disproportionally high number of members of ethnic minorities, and groups such as sick, elderly or disabled people and single parents. It has been argued that social polarisation has increased as a result of both international economic trends and recent government policy. This social polarisation has had an impact upon the spatial structure of cities. Areas such as inner-city areas and peripheral council housing estates have become equated with the presence of this urban underclass. These pockets of deprivation contain a number of groups who are surplus to the requirements of the formal urban economy. These areas are characterised by the prevalence of ‘alternative’ or ‘twilight’ economies run on an informal or illegal basis.

The principle of design for beauty and enrichment is too seldom used in the design of housing for low-income families. This is because of poverty of imagination, not shortage of money. It is not always easy to know what constitutes beauty or decoration for people who have been ground down by poverty. In some countries the first outlet of a person wanting something ‘more’ or ‘pretty’ may be to plant flowers or vines. In other countries delicate and elaborate designs are painted on the front of the home with rice flour paint. In Trinidad, local artists make murals and sculptures for buildings (Bell 1972).

References:
Bell, Gwen. 1972. Human identity in the urban environment. London: Butler and Tanner Ltd.

(iii) Here is some additional information to take a look at:

The Government focusing on affordable housing:
http://news.co.tt/public_html/article.php?story=20101124100829993

The delivery of low income housing communities in Trinidad and Tobago:
http://uwispace.sta.uwi.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2139/3108/GlennMahabirsingh_Dip.pdf?sequence=1

This video is based on how public housing transformed New York city

Stay tuned for more!