Entertainment on City Shape and Form

This post seeks to investigate the relationship between entertainment on the shape and form of the city of Port of Spain.

Two pictures above showing the general grid structure and road network of the city of Port of Spain. shows how the shape of the city is akin to the adjacent seafront and the position of the green spaces in comparison to the built environment creating a central artery across the heart of the city.   

The growth and development of any city will be dependent on many variables which can range from economic, social, cultural, environmental and political forces.  These forces can be perpetuated through organic unplanned or artificial planned growth.  The shape and form of cites is always evolving and changing as it response to these various variables. 

Urban form constitutes the patterns, designs, shapes and layout of the various structures that create the urban environment.  This can be visually expressed in town plans, building forms, street layouts and land use patterns. So how can entertainment affect this? 

Cites are a construct of tangible and intangible elements some which can be quantified and functional while others are unmeasurable and based on human values and perceptions. As a city such as Port of Spain develops over time, apart from the structural elements that are created, as mentioned before its design and shape can be determined based on social parameters such as the need to express and embody the culture and life styles of those who interact with it through art, leisure and entertainment in its physical form.

Urban areas serve a functional purpose for example Port of Spain location close to the sea facilitated merchant trade and commerce. This was advantageous during the period of colonialism where unorganized capitalism dominated however as industrialization progressed globally it also affected the city scape and land use patterns, today in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world the transition from industrial to postindustrial is also taking its effect on the shape and form of the city. This can be seen on the impact of commercial and private capital on land utilization as capital seeks to exploit vulnerable zones at the expense of urban heritage and culture, example Greyfriars church.   This progression through time left its impact on the shape and form of the urban environment also. So as economic transition occurred it also impacted on how entertainment activities unfolded throughout the city so its form was and is still dependent on the culture and the attitude of the inhabitants which is visibly expressed in our social interactions.  As expressed by Jane Jacobs urban places should be framed by architecture and landscape design that celebrate local history, climate, ecology, and building practice. All these elements should come together to ideally produce a livable city with entertainment at the heart of the urban construct.

Our vibrant and diverse culture and the various forms of entertainment used to express this have impacted on the form of Port of Spain. Most of the green areas with the largest Queens Park Savannah and the preservation of the many surrounding colonial historical buildings are primarily to serve for tourism, arts, culture and entertainment. Woodford square has a rich history which is beyond this post however one event which shows the importance of this site as an area for social integration and entertainment occurred after the 1808 fire where the rebuilding of the Trinity Cathedral within the square caused such a public outcry that it had to be stopped by the governor at the time (see link below). As described in the Encyclopedia Britannica the geometric patterning of the city streets into distinctive blocks forming a grid pattern with streets parallel to each other allows for easy access and pedestrian flows a feature which is taken advantage of during the many street festivals and parades such as carnival a feature which epitomizes the Jane Jacob ideology. 

overhead view of Queens Park Savannah largest open space in city in relation to surrounding buildings showing how it is part of the urban form. 

    

As with many urban areas a combination of developmental approaches are used to maintain a sense of harmony, equilibrium and controlled growth are required to meet the various needs of government, public and private interests in a cordial and collaborative way. The Port of Spain Regional Cooperation in its overall long term design for the city has developed a frame work document through Public Private consultation outlining their and by extension the government’s holistic plans for the economic, environmental and social rehabilitation of the city (see link below). One of the areas of the report is the creation of as the report says an Inclusive city through the design and enhancing of public spaces also the creation of more green open spaces and the cities conversion into a cultural hub. It also highlighted the intent to build social infrastructure and community facilities in specific areas within the city scape.  This confirms the fact that whatever the future shape and form of the city that entertainment will be an integral component of the design.

We end this post with a video showing an aerial view of the western side of Port of Spain. it gives an idea of the shape and form of the built environment and the recently developed skyline, please note the green areas in particular the Queens Park Savannah in the background and the gridded shape of the city blocks.    

   

Links:

History of Port of Spain: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/470934/Port-of-Spain

History of Woodford square: https://thinkinginsomniac.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/woodford-square-in-port-of-spain-trinidad-negative/

Port of Spain Regional Cooperation Draft Development Plan: http://www.localgov.gov.tt/~/media/Resource%20Library/Spatial%20Development%20Plans%20Per%20Corporation/Port%20of%20Spain%20City%20Corporation%20Spatial%20Development%20Plan.ashx

Reference:

“Port of Spain National Capital of Trinidad and Tobago." Encyclopædia Britannica. April 24, 2014. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/470934/Port-of-Spain.