Hopes for Kingston’s revival
CONGRATULATIONS to the KSAC, the representatives of the private sector, the people downtown and all other contributors to Wednesday’s downtown Kingston shopping event. As a dyed-in-the-wool downtowner, I rejoice that at last there was willingness to shut up and put up towards the effort of returning life to the heart of our capital city. By all accounts, the event received overwhelming support.
Amid the celebration, I have to be honest and tell you that I have mixed emotions. I cannot boast to being Kingston-born but I spent most of my formative years below Cross Roads and can lay claim to the title of Kingstonian (when I desire). Growing up, I never knew words like “ghetto” and “inner city”. We lived on streets and in lanes where family life was honoured and it wasn’t how much you had which made you what you were. We didn’t know there was anything called “gun” or “gunman”. Our lives were peaceful.
I, like others, got my early education at infant and elementary schools (both at St George’s, Duke Street). Some of us were fortunate enough to get scholarships, which were few and far between. You had to come really good to make the grade. So, parents and teachers never let up to ensure success. We were urged constantly “to have ambition”.
Coming into Kingston was not regarded as an adventure into the unknown, as it is now. For some Uptown folk today, Cross Roads and even Half Way Tree have become the equivalent of the Berlin Wall, not to be crossed. Some persons have forgotten (or have chosen to) that they have family origins in the streets and lanes, the mere mention of which now strike terror into their hearts. This kind of amnesia contributes to the ambivalence with which the future of downtown is regarded.
The last time I told someone that Jones Town and neighbouring communities used to be prime residential areas for professionals, the response was disbelief. The abandonment of the city came with the upward mobility which sent families up into the St Andrew foothills. Little by little, Kingston as it was known, became unfashionable. When midtown (New Kingston) was established, places of business also joined the retreat. Years later, we’re awakening to the fact that Kingston needs a lifeline.
We are not alone. Cities worldwide have undergone this kind of change. The difference between other places and us, however, is that they woke up to the value of their heritage and worked either to preserve or develop innovative ways to create a new environment. The most effective strategies have incorporated elements of the past with modern features to create new entrepreneurial opportunities. London’s Dockside is one of the examples. The transformation of New York’s 42nd Street district from sleaze to profitable elegance is another. There are many other such landmark projects known to global travellers. Nearer home, Port of Spain, Trinidad, is busy reconstructing its downtown into imitations of Big City skyscrapers (not my ideal).
THE PAIN OF KINGSTON is that over all the years, we have allowed the city to fall into decay without the vision of a future. Travel along Harbour Street, for instance, and see all the abandoned buildings which used to house businesses and fine stores, and get an idea of the glory that was Kingston. The remarkable collection of old churches which are living testimony to Kingston’s once-glorious history are still there, stubbornly maintained by denominations which remain faithful despite natural disasters and social upheaval. It is all within reach, waiting to be properly appreciated and used to enhance the fortunes of the city.
Kingston can flourish again, but it is going to take more than one-off events. The task requires a total development plan, not just bits and pieces here and there or excitement for excitement’s sake, but something that will really last. The shopping fiesta downtown on Wednesday was a great idea. The support it received demonstrated that people are ready for it. It remains now to get the long-term vision going.
It was wonderful that such good care was taken about security, parking and all that, although the pickpockets were harder to control. The lesson learned was that downtown can be rough. It is not a boutique, but its vibrancy and people’s determination to survive cannot be ignored. A way has to be found to keep the vibes going but I believe it will only be done when the people buy into it. There are some housekeeping details too.
One of the biggest challenges is parking, which begins with the recognition that we are not a people who like to pay for such services. The KSAC is determined to collect its due. They never let you forget that it takes cash to care, but they must know that caring is also part of the equation. A hard line doesn’t always bring benefits. The way the sidewalk vendors are treated is another area for consideration. The cat-and-mouse games with the police are creating too much bitterness. There must be another way to achieve the goal of keeping the sidewalks clear.
The business of towing vehicles which infringe the parking rules has to be approached with a new vision also. On a Saturday afternoon (as happened recently), mourners attending a funeral in one of the old landmark churches, emerged to find their vehicles hauled away and impounded. The anger and disappointment was understandable. We don’t make friends and influence people that way.
The wrecker “philosophy” (if that is what it is) has to be flexible and sensitive to the needs of people who are being invited to do business in the city. Why couldn’t there be a moratorium on Saturday afternoons, for instance, to accommodate shopping and other use of the city’s facilities? Since many of the older churches have little or no parking areas, why can’t there be some give-and-take between them and the city authorities? Not many of our planners seem to remember that people – real people – live in the heart of the city. They do not have the luxury of leaving it at the end of a workday. Their welfare has to be taken into account too.
THE HOUSING STOCK in areas like Central Kingston and West Kingston is badly rundown and decrepit. People still live without basic amenities, invisible in the shadow of thriving commerce and industry. Unless there is some plan to relocate them (which I would doubt), the social equation has to be looked after, if the anticipated back-to-downtown renaissance is to get going. If the residents of downtown aren’t made to feel a part of the re-development, the dream could be delayed or even disrupted. That would not be good for anyone.
Of course, there is talk. Remember the time when members of the private sector made a tour of West Kingston after one of the outbursts of social unrest and declared themselves appalled at the conditions in which people live? They may be surprised to know how little has changed since then. If those residents are to help play host to change in the city, then their survival must receive attention also.
SET UP? The Buju business is all the talk at the taxi stand and the street, the real centres of information. The verdict? “Ah dem set him up, de gays dem. Long time now dem waan get him out!” Could our hero possibly be guilty? “No, no, no. Is dem set him up…” You will have to come good to persuade the people otherwise.
BEENIE MAN seems willing to endanger his lucrative sponsorship from Pepsi by anti-gay remarks made recently in Uganda. Does BM know – or care – that in America, where Pepsi comes from, new legislation has been passed, forbidding discrimination against persons because of their sexual orientation? Han’ inna lion mout, Big Man, check your fingers!
TAKE HEED: All Big Shot wannabes, read and weep…While you’re there dreaming of wealth, deejays can draw down US$25,000 for one gig and when you really broad, you can tell the promoter, “Send charter to pick me up,” then change your mind, leaving the aircraft idling on the tarmac. So, do you still doubt where power lies in this town?
gloudonb@yahoo.com