Throughout this project, we made some interesting observations and learnt some new things. Our view of urban areas, with particular respect to the buildings found in urban areas, has changed. All of our buildings came from both major cities, San fernando and Port-of-Spain, as well as the borough, Chaguanas.
Previously, there were two different responses towards both major cities. For Port-of-Spain, we had an image of new, and modern buildings. Only having trekked through the the city on a hot Saturday morning did we discover the 'sore spots' or buildings that were not as newly built. These buildings were never noticed by us formerly. However, most of the older, derelict buildings seemed to be in the process of being restored. It was shocking to us that the capital city contained such historic structures. However, the opposite was observed for San Fernando, where most buildings are still older and it was not thought to have as many newer buildings as compared to Port-of-Spain. We saw that there were pockets of development which can speak to the emerging development of the second major city in the country.
The disparities in both areas were also larger than we anticipated, with very new and modern buildings on one side of a road and old buildings on the other side; this was seen in both cities.
We visited several of our colleague's blogs, and a few had particularly close themes to ours. Firstly, this blog related to our private hospital post.
Also, a post that shows the differences between the outcomes of older buildings is this one, from Jason's and Andre's blog, which shows how an old fire station was converted into what is now the NALIS library. This is an interesting comparison to the abandoned fire station that was spoken about in San Fernando.
Finally, we acknowledged that there was also, in this post talk about the disparity within an area, They spoke about the Sea Lots area being right before the CBD, with skyscrapers and built up areas. This can be compared to our post, where the disparities over a small space can be seen.
Overall, this was a very interesting and fulfilling experience.
Friday, 10 April 2015
The Mardi Gras
The building in the picture above is just one of the many ancient structures that still stands today in Port-of-Spain. It is located along the eastern end of the Brian Lara Promenade just before the start of Independence Square. Port-of-Spain has been the capital city of Trinidad since 1757 and as such, there are several old administrative and commercial buildings that are continuously being restored. The building is said to resemble a Mardi Gras themed setting with its typical style of businesses being set up on the ground floor with residences on the upper floors. It is one of the few buildings that remain alive today along the Promenade, where the area is flourished with new urban structures that have lead to the development of the area.
This picture shows the Independence Square branch of Scotia Bank located footsteps away from the "Mardi Gras" building seen above. As seen from the pictures, it is noted that several commercial and administrative buildings are located throughout the area such as the various banks, Nicholas Tower and the Eric Williams Financial Complex commonly known as the Twin Towers. It was observed that along certain points of the Promenade, there were distinct variations as one side of the street, housed developed government institutions, while the other side comprised old "run down" structures that are being used for business, just as the "Mardi Gras".
According to Macdonald 2015, historic buildings play a role in determining the contemporary architecture style as they consist of aesthetic and heritage value that contribute to the cultural development of the area. A current challenge is the desire to develop and advance while also preserving these historic structures that are symbolic.This is what may be taking place in the city of Port-of-Spain as the many of the developed areas consist of few ancient buildings that have either become completely abandoned or are being restored. Therefore the social distinction is made between the upper class areas structures and the lower class or historic developments.
References
Getty.edu,. (2015). Contemporary Architecture in Historic Urban Environs (Article). Retrieved 10 April 2015, from http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/newsletters/26_2/contemporary.html
Getty.edu,. (2015). Contemporary Architecture in Historic Urban Environs (Article). Retrieved 10 April 2015, from http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/newsletters/26_2/contemporary.html
The Run-Down
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| Taken by T'marah Forbes in the 6th April 2015.
The above picture shows the building that was formerly the San Fernando Fire Station. It is located in the city of San Fernando which stands as the second largest city in Trinidad. This building is located on Lady Hailes Avenue, in San Fernando, and as it stands, has been abandoned, and most likely been occupied by some interesting characters (remind you of anyone?)
The above building may be a symbol of urban decay, albeit on a very small scale. Urban decay involves the deterioration of buildings and their surroundings in an area (Charles Sturt University, 2015). This can be as a consequence of changes in the economic structure of the city, or may be a indication of the socio-economic status of the area. This is also a similiar situation to what is happening in Port-of-Spain, which is the capital city of Trinidad. Port-of-Spain is said the be a 'dying city' (Doughty, 2014), with poverty and poor infrastructure being among some of the factors that are contributing to this phenomenon. According to the UNHabitat.org, Trinidad has developed slums and the like because of ongoing occurrences of urban decay. But, does one abandoned building falling into disrepair constitute urban decay? 
Taken by T'marah Forbes on the 6th, April, 2015.
The above photo shows the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) King's Wharf Water Trucking Facility. This building is located across the road from the abandoned fire station. Furthermore, if you look at the background of the first photograph, near the top left hand corner, is a glimpse of a seemingly high rise, new building. The building in the background is the San Fernando Teaching Hospital, which cost $750 million to construct (Ctntworld.com), and was opened on the 6th of February, 2014. The teaching hospital and the WASA facility are both surrounding the abandoned building. The building was abandoned in November 2012 after fire officers were disturbed by health and safety issues (Webb, 2013), which left persons in the surrounding area feeling vulnerable. There were common slum characteristics that occurred in this building, including poor quality in terms of durability, and non-adherence to buildings codes, which possibly led to the abandonment of the building. This building is an anomaly when compared to its surroundings, because it seems to have been built at quite a lower standard as compared to the other buildings. Also, most buildings around that abandoned building seems to be newly built. This can be a sign of the development of the San Fernando area, which seems to be occurring at a sporadic times and occurring without any set plan; pockets of development occurring. However, most of the buildings are still old buildings, but the fact that some are new and some are being refurbished and rebuilt means that development is happening. This building was chosen because of it being abandoned in an area where it felt out of place. References Charles Sturt University. (2015). HSC Online - Urban Dynamics. Hsc.csu.edu.au. Retrieved 10 April 2015, from http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/geography/urban/urban/4370/urban_change.htm Ctntworld.com,. (2015). San Fernando Teaching Hospital opens. Retrieved 10 April 2015, from http://www.ctntworld.com/cnews2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8266:san-fernando-teaching-hospital-opens&catid=137&Itemid=707 Mirror.unhabitat.org,. (2015). UN-HABITAT.:. Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme | PSUP Countries | Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved 10 April 2015, from http://mirror.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=11012&catid=592&typeid=79 Doughty, M. (2014). Port-of-Spain a dying city. Trinidad And Tobago Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2014-04-06/%E2%80%98port-spain-dying-city%E2%80%99 Webb, Y. (2013). Businesses on removal of fire station: Southern city exposed to danger. Trinidad And Tobago Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2013-03-07/businesses-removal-fire-station-southern-city-exposed-danger |
The Creative Centre
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| Taken by T'marah Forbes on the 6th April 2015.
The above photo is of the San Fernando branch of the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), that is located on Todd Street in San Fernando, and is a continuation of NAPA. The National Academy for the Performing Arts, or NAPA for short, was the first building if these to be built, and it is located in the heart of the capital city, Port-of-Spain. It is meant to be the main hub of performing and the main area where the development of Caribbean talent is to be done.
(Nalis.gov.tt, 2015)
Taken by T'marah Forbes on the 6th April 2015.
This building, renamed the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts or SAPA (Udecott.com, 2015), is built to resemble a G-clef, from above. This is to symbolise what the performing arts centre is supposed to be about. The purpose of the centre is to encourage the development of the performing arts and culture in the Caribbean, and specifically in Trinidad. This particular building is for the development of musical talent in Trinidad (hence the shape of the building), and is especially for the development of the steelpan, which is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. Thus, the building was designed and built with the idea of enhancing and developing the local culture in Trinidad.
Taken by T'marah Forbes on the 6th of April 2015.
Music has always been a large part of Caribbean and Trinidadian culture. With the history of slavery of African persons in the Caribbean, a deculturing effect was observed (Radan and Bohlman, 2000). Deculturation refers to a culture loss (Eder, 1992). This was seen to happen to a greater extent to the African population than as compared to the East Indian population that came after, for indentureship. But it was seen that there was a loss of cutlure from both of these ethnic groups. As such, a new culture had to be formed, and this was through 'creolization' which became a shared culture of the persons within the Caribbean. Some of the outcomes of creolization was the shared dialect and also the music, and the creation of the steelpan.
The steelpan is an outcome of this and has such evolved in Trinidad and Tobago as its leading and national instrument. The steelpan has assisted with social and cultural development over time as it has advanced from the under privileged areas of Port of Spian to the national community by integrating factors of culture and tradition. These photos were chosen to demonstrate how culture has evolved and plays a major role in the development of urban areas.
References:
Buzz.tt,. (2015). Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA/ NAPA South). Retrieved 9 April 2015, from https://buzz.tt/venue/national-academy-for-the-performing-arts-south-145
Eder, J. (1992). On the road to tribal extinction. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Nalis.gov.tt,. (2015). NALIS' Annual General Meeting 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2015, from http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Default.aspx?TabId=538
Radano, R., & Bohlman, P. (2000). Music and the racial imagination. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Udecott.com,. (2015). Urban Development Corporation Of Trinidad And Tobago Limited (UDeCOTT). Retrieved 9 April 2015, from http://www.udecott.com/index.php/cc/cc_project_item/southern_academy_for_the_performing_arts/
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Thursday, 9 April 2015
The Lion House
Trinidad and Tobago exhibits many features that can boast of the country's rich culture and diversity. Some of these include historic sites and monuments that are located throughout various districts. These structures have been preserved and are continuously being renewed as they serve to uphold and promote the affluent and diversified culture that exists throughout the Caribbean. One such illustration is the the Lion House located on the Chaguanas Main Road, depicted in the picture above.
The Lion House was built by Pundit Capildeo from 1924 to 1926 and was named Anand Bhavan (Mansion of Bliss). He came to Trinidad as indentured immigrant from the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. After freeing himself from indentureship, he became a honouable and distinguished pundit and successful landowner and entrepreneur. According to Father Anthony de Verteuil, the structure of the Lion House was significantly influenced by Indian culture and design.
It is said that the design of the building is based on Indian architectural style as Capildeo re-designed a building that represented his home in India and also one that established his position as a leader in society. He created a unique model with the use of exclusive patterns and decorative ideas.The intricate design including the lions at the front are frequently displayed on houses in India as a sign of strength and as such it was integrated into his architecture.
Throughout the years, since its inception, the Lion House has been viewed as a historic monument as well as a significant landmark in Chaguanas as it has contributed to the development of the area over time. It has been used as a pilgrim by Hindus from all ends of the country and has facilitated economic activity through the provision of stores such as the "Lion Store" along with jewelry and pharmaceuticals. Although this building has been standing for almost a century, it stands to show its significance to the urban area of Chaguanas as it contributed to the economic, social and cultural uplifting of the area.
The Lion House was made popular and referenced in the book, "A House for Mr Biswas " written by Capildeo's grandson, Vidya Naipaul.
Referrences
Thelionhouse.com,. (2015). The Lion House. Retrieved 9 April 2015, from http://www.thelionhouse.com/
(2015). Retrieved from http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,55879.html
MacLean, G. (2015). Lion House, Chaguanas. Citizensforconservationtt.org. Retrieved 9 April 2015, from http://citizensforconservationtt.org/main/index.php/builtherit/bhresidential/85-lion-house-chaguanas
Tuesday, 7 April 2015
The Plaza
"Get in loser, we're going shopping".
The picture above is of Price Plaza, which is a shopping centre that is an illustration or a symbol of the contemporary lifestyle as it stands within the core of the urban centre of Chaguanas. Chaguanas was named a borough in 1990. However, due to its rapid expansion over the years, plans are being implemented toward achieving city status (Wayow, 2014). Urbanization is depicted here as Price Plaza is one of the largest, most recently developed shopping centres within the Chaguanas area. Its location along the Solomon Hochoy Highway provides easy access to consumers along with its centred location between north and south Trinidad.
Shopping centres have become a recent trend in urban cities mainly due to the increased demand by consumers as they facilitate shopping, leisurely and entertainment services. As seen from the pictures above, Price Plaza provides a variety of stores, restaurants including Pizza Hut and TGI Fridays as well as the Pricesmart shopping centre. Its large and spacious car park that runs from the northern end to the southern end of the complex also aids with accessibility for consumers.
According to Ferrell 2005, people who live in and around urban areas tend to spend longer periods of time at these shopping plazas as they are located in areas of high accessibility and efficient road networks. As such, this set of buildings was chosen due to its significance to the borough of Chaguanas as it contributes to its social, economic and cultural development.
Price Plaza is one of a few sprawling shopping complexes that have been developed in Trinidad, and are continuing to be developed in Trinidad. Another example of the would be Grand Bazaar, a shopping centre aptly called "The City of Grand Bazaar", which is located in Valsayn. There is also the development of another branch of PriceSmart, the Pricesmart Complex in La Romaine. This is indicative of a very prominent shift in Trinidad to consumerism, which is the concept that speaks to persons in a society who seek to acquire things they don't really need (Stearns, 2001). This begets the question, are all these shopping complexes really needed?
This culture of consumerism is also seen as one that is foreign, that is influenced by the Western world. It is one which does not originate in the Caribbean, but is quickly becoming part of 'Trini' culture as the development of Trinidad seeks to mimic Western development. This is seen with the development of many American fast food outlets that have been cropping up in Trinidad, such as McDonald's and Chuck E. Cheese. This is also seen in the spending of Trinbagonians, who spent over 1 billion USD between the years 2013-2014 (Ramdass, 2014).
Thus, this Plaza can be a symbol of our development, but also our very apparent shift to Western culture and living.
References
Ramdass, A. (2014). $hopaholics. Trinidad Express Newspapers. Retrieved from http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Shipping-companies-overwhelmed-286431051.html
Sciencedirect.com,. (2015). Shopping online and/or in-store? A structural equation model of the relationships between e-shopping and in-store shopping. Retrieved 7 April 2015, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856406000267
Stearns, P. (2001). Consumerism in world history. New York: Routledge.
Trinidad Express Newspaper,. (2015). Talks on Chaguanas city status. Retrieved 7 April 2015, from http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business/Talks-on-Chaguanas-city-status-267095051.html
Monday, 6 April 2015
The Red House
Taken February 28th by Ariel Mahabirsingh
The picture above shows the Red House (no, not this one, or that one) which is located Port-of-Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located on the corner of Knox Street and Abercromby Street. The building faces Woodford Square, which is the location within which the above photograph was taken. It is a government building that houses the Parliament, and it is thought to have been built in the year 1844.
It is also the location where the water riots occurred; these took place in 1903 when the Red House was believed to have been burnt down and then rebuilt. However, it was not completely burnt as the roof and windows were destroyed but the structure remained intact (Raymond, 2013). The riots occurred due to the increase in taxes for water usage. The less economically privileged believed that this was unfair as they used less water than the more financially privileged, and as a result, the riots took place and fire was set to the building. As seen from the picture, the building is currently undergoing renovation.
This building was chosen because of the rich history and the significance it has to the government of the country. It is located in an area where there are a few other government buildings, such as the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain Magistrate's Court and the Port-of-Spain City Hall. This building therefore shows some cultural significance, and alludes to the history of Port-of-Spain as a whole.
Port-of-Spain was the main area where anchoring occurred in the 18th century (Besson 2011). It was a quaint town, until the British conquered the island, and this small town was then changed into a more modern city. The development of this area as one of the first in Trinidad would be consistent with the fact that most government buildings today are located in Port-of-Spain, and the Red House is an example of this.
References:
Besson, Gerard. 2011. 'Port-Of-Spain's Early City Life'. Blog. The Caribbean History Archive. http://caribbeanhistoryarchives.blogspot.com/.
Raymond, J. (2013). The Red House: 150 years of history. Guardian.
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