"Port of Spain Field Excursion"

   Part one : Place-checks:  

On March 22^nd, 2014, a place check exercise was conducted by the Geog 2016: Into to urban geography students in the city of Port of Spain. Various places in the Port of Spain area were chosen but this blog focuses on the findings from the International Waterfront Centre and the Belmont community. Firstly, a walkabout of the area was conducted and students identified what they liked and didn't like about each area as well as brainstorming ways to improve the current conditions of the two selected districts. In addition, in the Belmont community an in-depth tour was conducted with varying stops by local facilities where interviews were conducted. The findings are summarized below. 

 "The Beauty in the Roots of our People"  

 Aesthetic pleasure comes in all shapes and forms and varies from the next door neighbour’s child drawing on the street to the finely hand painted local “trini” murals located around the city center and its environs.  These art forms are representative of our local roots and traditions and act as a means to sensitive the public and the wider audience of the importance of “trini pride”.  This allows for the enrichment of the Port of Spain area and makes the city what it is today and what it will be in the years to come.

Place-check #1: The Hyatt Waterfront Centre

Shown in this image is the International Waterfront Center located at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain. It is seen to be one the most beautiful man made area located in the capital city that draws visitors from all over the world that aspires to take part in its magnificent splendor.

As I stood in the midst of the grandeur of this majestic hotel surrounded by the very essence of beauty, pleasure, hope, peace and love, I can only think of the joys of visiting such a place. The sun  in all its grandiose power enlightening the mere quintessence of human life on this earth, the calm gentle feel of the ocean breeze gently stroking my skin sending skivers down my spine and a last the sound of the silent majestic ocean ahead me signaling signs of youth, renewal, culture, people, history and education.

It has been seen that the International Waterfront provides a wide array of aesthetic pleasure to the visitors of the Hyatt Regency Hotel as well as to the public. Yes, it is highly acceptable for persons of the general public of Trinidad and Tobago as well as persons who are visiting the country to take a stroll along the waterfront and admire its exquisiteness.  Persons doing this are greeted with a myriad of natural as well as man-made facilities that enhance the visual appeal of the area. This is evident with the presence of various trees and flowers that line the entire area as well as the continuous glorious stone work that boarders the water area and the vicinity of the hotel as seen in the image below. 

Likewise, the water front area has excellent accommodation for individuals visiting the areas. It has been seen to be very comfortable (by personal testing) and allows persons to enjoy the time being spent with their friends and family or even with themselves and a book to the highest of comfort. This allows persons to feel relaxed and let go of some of the stress that they’re dealing with at the moment and just take in the natural elements of the sun and the cool ocean breeze.

After letting go, persons can then indulge in local cuisine sold by one of the various stores at the food shack located at the waterfront area. These food stalls provide local cuisine at its finest and allows persons to take trips down memory lane to when they were kids or even serves as new experiences to visitors who want to take part in local “trini” culture. 

However, it should be noted that the waterfront area is not fully entrenched in local Trinidadian culture. There are minimal signs that represent the local roots and heritage of the country. Instead, it adopts foreign architecture and planning styles as one can view when they walk along the waterfront area. The stone work designs, the layout of the area, the furniture used for the accommodation were all foreign products and thus do not illustrate what a typical area in Trinidad would look like as seen in the image below.

 Nonetheless, it should be stated that the flowers and trees used are part of the Trinidadian list of local fauna and somewhat tries to mix the two cultures together to form a more hybridized one to ensure that all persons visiting the area are comfortable and do not feel out of place. Likewise, located at the waterfront area is a mural as seen in the image below, and it represents local athletes that gained worldwide recognition. This acts as a means of sensitizing the public both foreign and local of Trinidadian sports culture. 

In addition, another issue that arose from the walkabout of the area was the need for more enhanced security. The area was seen to be somewhat "unsafe" as there was the present of a homeless person who was not dressed appropriately in the vicinity of the area.  This person can pose serious harm to both themselves by the deep waters as well as to visitors especially those who are not accustomed to seeing things like that on a daily basis. 

Security also was linked to the shortage of safety signs present in the area. Only one caution sign was observed in the area warning persons of the risk of being so close to the edge of the waterfront area. This can pose serious problems to visitors especially to children who may be in the area. Therefore, it is advisable that more signs be implemented as a means to reduce the potential for any serious problems of dilemmas occurring.

Similarly, in my opinion a wider variety of local items can be added to the area as a means to represent the true local “trini” culture. This can be terms of additional fixtures that would allow persons to link what they see in the area to what local culture is all about. 


Place-check #2: The Belmont Community

Belmont:  “A place of small lanes that seems to go nowhere to the stranger who passes through, but somewhere to the residents.”

Belmont was an area where coffee and sugar estates were located but these were abandoned after the emancipation of slaves occurred and are thus  it became the initial home of the former enslaved Africans as well as many freed Africans during the times of colonization.

The former slaves then set up houses and settlements on the former cultivated land and this resulted in the high density population in the Belmont district. As a result, Belmont became known as the first emancipation village or first suburb of Port of Spain.

Belmont is enriched and deeply rooted in African culture that over time became known as local “trini” culture.  This gave rise to the development of the Freetown Foundation.

The main objective of the Freetown Foundation is to preserve the rich and diverse heritage (architectural, cultural and social) of the community and to restore pride within; to provide activity for the youths as well as to collaborate and create groups within the community.

Illustrated in the image is a typical street in the Belmont Community.

After the place-check, when I think of the Belmont community the first thing that comes to mind are streets upon streets lined with houses of every shape and size tightly crammed together like a tin of mackerels. I envision a concrete jungle with small sidewalks and no greenery as well as piles and piles of garbage around the street corners.