SUBURBS: WE ALL NEED A PLACE IN THE CITY!

Like any other ‘well known’ urban city destinations in this world, in contemporary times, Port- of- Spain, Trinidad and Tobago definitely has the sub- urban areas which are generally called the suburbs. With rising globalization along the Caribbean and the all- accepting ways of the Caribbean people, they all feel the need to be a part of the fast past life that the people in the West experience. Like everything else, the infrastructure throughout the Caribbean well displays the historical and contemporary globalization.  Not to stray too far from the point about suburbs, but let me just mention to you that almost all the Caribbean feel as if it is ‘Urban or Die’. As common sense will tell all, it is almost impossible to fit everyone into the city to reside. So… along came sub- urbanization. Happy were all who could afford, to live like they are urban, just outside the city.

Sub- urbanization refers to the process of building up areas within the commuter zone of the city. The area that houses the predominantly residential building infrastructure; that extends outward away from the city; and commonly keep middle class residents around the world refers to the suburb (Hall, 2006, p. 120). This (new) urbanism made it way to the Caribbean post 1970s (Luiz Lara, 2011, p. 369). In Port- of- Spain, it is important to recognize that many suburban developments have been structured. As it goes along with the rest of the world, the middle class residents reside within the suburban residential areas. Both middle class suburbs and high class suburb areas are represented in the following pictures.

Photograph showing Victorian Styled, suburban building infrastructure, Port- of- Spain.

Photograph showing a collection of Victorian Styled, suburban building infrastructure, Victoria Square, Port- of- Spain.

Photograph showing Victorian Styled, suburban building infrastructure, Victoria Square, Port- of- Spain.

Photograph showing a collection of Victorian Styled, suburban building infrastructure, Port- of- Spain.

Photograph showing Victorian Styled, suburban building infrastructure, Port- of Spain.

Photograph of suburban area, Port- of- Spain.

Can you tell which housing belongs to which class?
(Photographs 1- 5 represents the middle class residents and Photograph 6 represents the upper class residents)

           

The building infrastructure speaks tons about the classes and the people who live in the areas. In the higher class residential suburbs, distinguishing features are seen. There are more ‘dehumanizing’ aspects to their building infrastructure than that of the middle class (Relph, 1981). Many dehumanizing features that separate each building from another and by extent, separating one neighbour from another is not community based or humanized. The building infrastructure represents the people that live in each.

            In the higher end suburb, it is clear to see the power and wealth visible through the building infrastructure. As mentioned in the post about dual cites, the buildings represent the people that take interest in them and the people that reside in them. With no doubt in mind, the residents are of high social standings and high power in society. The richer suburb area represents the suburb that the ambassadors reside. They represent power and have a lot of money don’t they? The houses contain high walls and not to mention they look locked up. The building infrastructure represented in the photo speaks volumes about the different suburb areas. After all a picture does hold a thousand words… Or almost!

            In the lower end suburban housing, the building reflects residents of a lower class. These areas will be located nearer to the city as they have less money to travel in comparison with the upper class residents. The buildings that belong to the middle class occupants are generally lower than the ones of the upper suburbs. The walls are shorter. The place looks less guarded and more open for general community socializing. With those building infrastructure that belongs to the middle income residents, it is important to note and remember that theses suburbs will be more in numbers or have more houses within them. They lower income residents, social relationships and feelings are important to the residents (Fried and Gleicher, 1976, p. 555). This relates to the building infrastructure as they show low walls and the width between the houses are smaller.

...More about a few suburban areas in Port- of Spain can be gained from the following web link to a local newspaper article: http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2014-01-19/colonial-gems-tt.

            With time, the urban Port- of- Spain has developed and the movement of people into the suburb is just so that they can live near to the city. It almost seems as if they city is a magnet to everyone no matter their socio- economic constraints. The suburban building infrastructure declares attention. Next time you walk through a suburb, pay attention to the infrastructure and what it tells you about the city. Remember also, that within the Caribbean, the suburban pattern mimic the West or the ‘developed’ world. They suburb that are present throughout the Caribbean are home to the upper and middle parts of society. It is because of the need to be near the city that the suburbs came about.

References

Fried , M. & Gleicher, P. (1976). Some sources of residential satisfaction in an urban slum. H. M. 

Proshanksy et. al. (Eds.), Environmental psychology (p. 550- 564) New York: Holt, Reinhart and Winston.

Hall, A. (2006). Recent urban change. Urban Geography (p. 97- 128). New York: Routledge.

Luiz Lara, F. (2011). New (Sub- urbanism) and old inequalities in Brazilian gated communities [Electronic Version]. Journal of urban design, 16, 369-380.

Relph, E. (1981). The Character of Modern Landscapes. Rational landscapes and humanistic geography (p. 63- 105). London: Crown Helen.