Restoring downtown Kingston

It's ironic that in this morning's Gleaner there is an article about restoring the full charm of Kingston's downtown (see article). As I drove through the area on my way to the airport last Thursday I did what I often do on this drive. I reminisced about what I remembered of my early childhood. You see, I lived downtown in the mid-1950s, in an area close to the waterfront, near the prison. The street where I used to live, Vauxhall Avenue, is now full of dilapidated properties. It looks like one of those US inner city shells that have been abandoned by the middle classes after the race riots. None of the earlier charm is there. Yet, we have not had people flee because of race, but economic interests have surely shaped the capital. Most of the older structures are still there. You can walk past store fronts that take you back to the 1950s but there is no economic activity going on inside the stores. Property owners and government have somehow conspired to blight this whole area, both its corporate and residential sides, which if restored would be one of the most visible signs that Jamaica wants to be a better country. Instead of the bland concrete and glass of New Kingston, I want to see the stone and wood of Old Kingston.

Over 40 years have passed since Jamaica got its Independence and during that time many plans and agencies have been created to revitalize downtown Kingston. But why have none of these plans borne fruit? The area's low rise buildings can easily be envisaged as a charming bloom in a capital that has few charming buildings. The exceptions are well known such as Devon House (see website). But why does no one appear to care for Kingston's old architecture?

For me, such a project is laced with the romance of my childhood memories: of stories told by my parents about going to Bray Street; walking along Orange Street; shopping in King Street; of Mr. Chin and other Chinese-owned grocery stores. The city was then literally centred around downtown and the bustling areas such as Parade. Not every old building is as beautiful as Ward Theatre,
but many houses and store spaces could be restored to give it company.

Almost any city that I have visited that has had its core revitalized has also enjoyed a resurgence. Baltimore and London are great recent examples of how the old structures of the city or parts of it have been given new life and founded a new base for boosting the city. it may be chicken and egg. Jamaica's many economic problems (especially its inability to control budget spending may be at the core of its inability to restore its capital. This continued dilapidation is also ideal cover for criminality and in sweeping it away the cobwebs that support crime would also star to give crime less of a base. I trained in urban planning but rarely worked in the field. I wonder why (if not because of government blockage) private sector ventures have not taken on this task. The organizations that are located downtown show what can be done and the beauty that remains: just look at the Grace Kennedy and Jamaica Stock Exchange buildings.

Jamaica's new prime minister is talking about "sprucing up Jamaica". I would like that to start with restoring Kingston.