Kingston, Jamaica, Is Over 300 Years Old

“As we mark World Cities Day, let’s resolve to work together for urban areas that are not only engines of growth, but beacons of sustainability, resilience, and prosperity for all.”- António Guterres is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations. Kingston was founded in 1692 as a place for survivors of the earthquake that destroyed Port Royal. The city of Kingston is located on the southeastern coast of the island; it is both the capital and largest city of Jamaica. The city of Kingston is therefore over 300 years old. Kingston has been through a number of transformations over the centuries. Interestingly, Port Royal was originally separated from Kingston. Initially it was Port Royal and not Kingston that originally held the interest of the world as Port Royal was the headquarters of the English buccaneers or pirates; chief among them the famous Captain, Sir Henry Morgan. Port Royal became wealthy from the goods that were pillaged from the Spanish. The Birth of Kingston. Until 1692, there was no such place as Kingston. Kingston came into existence in 1692 after a massive earthquake and tidal waves destroyed up to two thirds of Port Royal and caused the deaths of about three thousand inhabitants. The survivors fled to the Liguanea Plain, where an even larger number perished from exposure and disease. As a result, two weeks after Port Royal’s destruction, two hundred acres of land known as Colonel Barry’s Hog Crawle was purchased by the government from Sir William Beeston at a cost of £1000. Nicholas Lawes, Beeston’s attorney, sold Hog Crawle on behalf of Beeston who was absent from the island at that time. This was done for the erection of a new town, Kingston. Early maps listed Kingston’s name as “Beeston”. The idea of Kingston becoming the capital of Jamaica was first put forward by the Governor of Jamaica, Admiral Charles Knowles. Now that we are more knowledgeable about Kingston it is important that we speak about the United Nations’ designated 31 October as World Cities Day. The Day is set aside to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities addressing challenges of urbanization and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world. World Cities Day 2023 will focus on the theme of “Financing sustainable urban future for all” in order to explore how to unlock transformative investment in urban planning and achieve adequate fiscal decentralization. According to the UN, urbanization provides the potential for new forms of social inclusion, including greater equality, access to services and new opportunities, and engagement and mobilization that reflects the diversity of cities, countries and the globe. Yet too often this is not the shape of urban development. Inequality and exclusion abound, often at rates greater than the national average, at the expense of sustainable development that delivers for all. In 2019, Kingston was selected among the first group of cities by the United Nations Educational, Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to participate in its community-based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Urban Contexts pilot project. Financing a Sustainable Urban Future For All. When planned responsibly, and based on sound - but not necessarily exhaustive - cost/benefit analysis, and when supported by adequate regulations, the financing and development of infrastructure can be used as an engine for the development of institutions, policies, and capacities at all levels and across all sectors of governance. To this end, the mandates of all levels and sectors of government should be clear and without gaps or overlaps. All relevant levels and sectors of government must be involved in making decisions on investment, instead of only those involved in collecting taxes and other revenues. Social Problems. Over the years the city of Kingston has been plagued with a number of social problems. Among the most pressing are affordable housing, unplanned settlements most of which are rooted in the nation’s political culture. Other social issues negatively impacting the capital city of Jamaica are crime and violence and unemployment. Urban planning is a critical component for making cities safe and resilient. However, all across Kingston, there are many unplanned communities, some lacking basic amenities necessary for people to live as decent citizens. In older communities across Kingston we continue to see developers breach Restrictive Covenant as once residential areas are transformed into industrial and commercial zones without the legal backing. The checks and balances at the Kingston & St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) are clearly weak and inadequate. Another problem the city of Kingston is faced with is that of The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). NEPA has responsibility for zoning in the city and has been found wanting and as a result many developers have ignored NEPA and have continued to breach zoning rules. Is Jamaica on the correct path regarding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically goal #11 that speaks to making cities and human settlements safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable? Unquestionably, urban planning is crucial to prepare for the orderly expansion of cities to guide investment, prepare subdivisions of land and install skeletal infrastructure before building. Retrofitting informally built areas is complex and much more expensive. Human Settlements. Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social, human and economic development. The United Nations adds that urban planning, transport systems, water, sanitation, waste management, disaster risk reduction, access to information, education and capacity-building are all relevant issues to sustainable urban development. In 2008, for the first time in history, the global urban population outnumbered the rural population. This milestone marked the advent of a new 'urban millennium' and, by 2050, it is expected that two-thirds of the world population will be living in urban areas. Given that half of humankind are living in cities and that the number of urban residents are scheduled to grow by nearly 73 million yearly it is estimated that urban areas account for 70 per cent of the world's gross domestic product and has therefore generated economic growth and prosperity for many. Given the importance of this topic to global development efforts, recent movements pushing to address sustainable development from an urban perspective have taken place throughout the world. Results from this movement can be seen in the inclusion of a stand-alone goal on cities and urban development in the 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goal 11. With the portion of the population living in cities set to rise from 54 per cent in 2015 to 66 per cent in 2050, there will likely be another 2.4 billion urban dwellers worldwide. The bulk of urban growth will happen across the global South, for instance in China, India and Nigeria. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major shifts in migration patterns, including huge movements of people in and out of urban areas. Furthermore, climate change and conflicts tend to have disproportionate impacts on cities. These factors mean that the world is far from achieving the goal of sustainable cities. In many developing countries, slum populations have been growing, putting at risk the target of adequate housing for all by 2030. Since 2015, the number of countries with national disaster risk reduction strategies have more than doubled. Participatory Governance. As a democratic society we must embrace the process of participatory governance. According to Oxford Academic participatory governance seeks to deepen citizen participation in the governmental process by examining the assumptions and practices of the traditional view that generally hinders the realization of a genuine participatory democracy. As we observe World Cities Day, we must be mindful that as the proliferation of urbanization continues we must carefully examine urban health as an area that requires a cross-cutting approach to tackle: the triple key public health concerns in urban areas, non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and injuries and interpersonal violence. The 5.6 magnitude earthquake that rocked Jamaica on October 30 brings in sharp focus the interconnectivity of urban health care and urbanization of cities as scores of Jamaicans had to seek medical care for both panic and asthma attacks. In a world where cities are growing and expanding at an unprecedented rate, it becomes increasingly clear that we must make strategic investments in green urbanization to ensure a sustainable future. It is important to note that efforts to mitigate climate change, stop pollution and combat poverty and inequality will continue to be critical in cities in ensuring sustainable development. Finally, we also need our government to be more responsive to the needs of their citizens especially to those retirees who are too old to get a mortgage, and are therefore stuck in those areas that are being commercialized. Let us therefore lend our collective voices to ensure that our cities are safe and resilient. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #worldcitiesday