A Unique Route To Port of Spain... Signs of a System and a Post-Industrial City

In the past, we have both enjoyed leisurely boat rides along the coasts of our beautiful Caribbean homelands Nevis (Sybastain) and Dominica (Christal). However, we have never had the pleasure of being transported to and from work in the relaxed environment of an efficient water taxi. For this reason, Christal was most surprised when she took an adventurous ride from Port of Spain to San Fernando at 3:00pm  3:00 pm one afternoon. She realized that she may have been among very few passengers who saw this ride as an adventure. Many of the passengers, dressed in suits and ties were obviously part of Port of Spain's transient population leaving the city after a day of work.

In an earlier post we stated that the transient population of Port of Spain was approximately 350,000. The transient population of a city refers to the portion of it people that exists temporarily in the urban center for business, employment, consumption or simply in transition to somewhere else. A small percentage of the labour force in Port of Spain utilises the water taxis to travel between the city of San Fernando and the capital. These taxis transport approximately 1500 persons on a daily basis (Trinidad and Tobago Water Taxi 2015).

This formal establishment serves as an alternative to the public bus route or main road which are usually very congested at peak hours (Shah 2014). Leaving San Fernando as early at 5:30 am 5:30 amon mornings (Trinidad and Tobago Water Taxi 2015); the water taxis enable employees from the south of the island to be punctual for work in the capital.

After Disembarking the Water Taxi, Many Persons Walk to Library Corner, San Fernando to Catch Taxis to Other Southern Districts (Photo Taken By Khellon Hodge on Behalf of Christal Benjamin, February 20, 214.*

In January 2014,  transport minister, Stephen Cadiz stated that development plans were in place to expand the Port of Spain Water Taxi Service to Chaguanas and Point Fortin (Trinidad Express 2014). We believe that a significant percentage of the the capital's labour force reside in the urban centers of Chaguanas and Port of Spain. Moreover, an increase in the ease and availability of transportation may lead to an increase in the volume of persons who leave these areas to seek work in the city.

This week our focus on the water taxi allowed us to come to two important conclusions. Firstly, as was stated by our Geography lecturer Dr. Priya Kissoon, Port of Spain does not exist on "the head of a pin". Rather, it is an open system where there is a continuous inflow and outflow of energy, ideas and people. It is a city within a system of cities like San Fernando and Chaguanas.

Furthermore, rather than reflecting a concentric model of development as posited by Burgess (1925); Port of Spain has the characteristics of a post industrial city. Consistent with the Keno Capitalist framework of post-modernism;a great proportion of the labour force which drives the activities of the urban center is drawn from outside of the city (Dear and Flusty 1998).

References:

·     Trinidad and Tobago Water Taxi. 2015. “Sailing Schedule.” Accessed February 23, 2015.                  http://www.tntisland.com/watertaxis.html

·         Shah, Raffique. 2014. “Traffic Constipation.” Trinidad Express, November 8. Accessed February 23, 2015. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Traffic-constipation-282039331.html

·         Trinidadian Express. 2014. “Point Fortin, Waterloo to Get Water Taxi.” Trinidad Express, January 31. Accessed February 23, 2015. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Point-Fortin-Waterloo-to-get-water-taxi-terminals-243015281.html

·         Dear, M. and Flusty, S. 1998. “Association of American Geographer: Post Modernism” Contact 1 (88): 50 – 72)

* Khellon Hodge has sole rights to the photo taken by him.
*Theo Jones has sole rights to the photo taken by him.

Urban Sprawl: A Source of Informal Employment

In our last post we examined the interconnectedness of the formal and informal sectors. This week we focus our lens on the informal sector. One question we asked ourselves was, "What factors encourage the growth of this sector in the urban area?" This question was partially answered as we walked through Port of Spain and observed many taxi stands within the city. We recognised that there is a great need for transportation services within the city of Port of Spain. This need was created by urban sprawl, a phenomenon driven by spatial and temporal factors.

"The term sprawl... critically describes a pattern of low-density...automobile dependent development that has been a common form of growth outside of urban areas since at least World War II...[and] it also accompanies settlement outside of existing cities
 ( Community and Regional Development Institute. nd)

Photograph of the St. James and St. Anns Taxi Stands In
Port of Spain (Photgraph Taken By Sybastian Manners, April 9, 2015)

"Photograph of St James Taxi Stand at 5:45 am In the Morning.
Even At This Early Hour There Is A Demand For Taxi Service
 (Photo taken by Danielle Smith on Behalf
of Christal Benjamin, February 19, 2015) *

"Photograph of St James Taxi Stand at 4:30 pm. During the Rush Hour"
One Must Move Very Quickly If He/ She Is to Secure A Seat 
(Photo Taken By Theo Jones on Behalf of Christal Benjamin,March 20, 2015)*

Originally a small fishing village in 1757, the city of Port of Spain has evolved spatially over time, becoming a major hub of economic activity in the Southern Caribbean. Immigrants from various Caribbean islands can be found in this city selling and buying goods. Some persons call Port-of-Spain the New York of the Caribbean. Many factors have led to the growth of the city's population and the simultaneous expansion of it's boundaries. Some significant events included:

• The Cedula of Population invited persons to take up land in the city-1783
• The Emancipation and resettlement of slaves-1834
• The Arrival of the East Indian Immigrants-1845
• The influx of immigrants from small islands who formed illegal settlements in areas such as Sea Lots (ISOCARP 2010)

"The Historical Growth of Port of Spain in
Trinidad through the period 1760 – 2010" ISOCORP 2010).

Today, with a transient population of approximately 350, 000  (Office of Disaster Preparedness Mannagement nd) and an administrative boundary defined defined by 10km² of urbanized land; the city continues to grow physically and economically. Commuters from the north, south, east and west of the island and even from Tobago, convene in the city on a daily basis and depend on taxi drivers to transport them considerable distances to and from work.

"Belmont Taxi Stand"(Photo Taken By Theo Jones on 
Behalf of Christal Benjamin,March 20, 2015)*

"Long Circular Road/ Wrightson Road Taxi Stand.
(Photo Taken By Theo Jones on 

Behalf of Christal Benjamin,March 20, 2015)*

In fact there is such a great demand for taxi drivers that some formally employed persons work as taxi drivers on a part time basis. However, this has caused a lot of controversy as these drivers work in private cars and sometimes compete with full time taxi drivers.

This problem is further described in the following article:

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2014-04-03/ph-drivers-getting-out-hand%E2%80%94cadiz

While urban sprawl is seen by many as a serious problem which must be controlled, Richard Peiser (2001) posited that urban sprawl forms part of the land market function. Moreover he suggests that some aspects of urban sprawl are beneficial and are integral to urban development. 

The taxi drivers in the city of Port of Spain can attest to the fact that urban sprawl is indeed beneficial to them. For many it is the source of their livelihood.

References

Community and Regional Development Institute.nd. "Defining Sprawl and Smart Growth. Accessed February             21st, 2015. 


Office of Disaster Preparedness Management. nd. "Executive Summary." Accessed February 21,                                   2015. http://www.odpm.gov.tt/sites/default/files/Excutive%20Summary.pdf

Peiser, Richard. 2010." Decomposing Urban Sprawl". The Town Palnning Review 72(3):275-298.

           Accessed February 9, 2015.http://www.jstor.org/stable/40112455

Ragoonath, Reshma.2014. "PH Drivers Getting Out of Hand-Cadiz". Guardian December 3.                         Accessed         February 21, 2015. http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2014-04-03/ph-drivers-                  getting-out-hand%E2%80%94cadiz

The InformationSystem Corporation. 2010. “Sustainable City of Port-of-Spain: Myth or Reality?”                  Accessed February 9, 2015. http://www.isocarp.net/data/case_studies/1671.pdf


*  Danielle Smith and Theo Jones have sole rights to all the photographs taken by them.

The Interconnectedness of The Informal and Formal Sectors in Port of Spain

Photo Showing Aspects of the Formal and Informal Sectors: A Doubles Vendor In the Heart of the Central Business District, Port of Spain ( Photo Taken by Sybastian Manners, February 3, 2015)

 In the photo above the authors aimed to portray three main ideas. Firstly, the formal and informal sectors in a city are influenced by a region's culture as well as they influence a city's culture,  temporal and spatial factors are imperative for the success of both sectors and these sectors are interconnected.

  According to Mumford (1938), in addition to facilitating the gain and expenditure of income, cities serve as organs for the embodiment and transmission of a region's culture.  While the nature of the formal and informal sectors of an urban center is influenced by the culture of a region, as these sectors grow and diversify they impact the urban culture: food, dress, language, patterns of behavior, music. It is these complex, interacting factors which lead to the unique culture of an urban centre as seen in the city of Port of Spain.

In the picture above, a doubles vendor can be seen. Doubles is an East Indian delicacy which is appreciated by Trinidadians of all ethnic groups. This snack is part of the Trinidadian culture and so it is very easy for this business to thrive in a busy urban centre. Moreover, this particular vendor sets up his stall very early in the morning, providing many business persons and their customers with breakfast. He also provides many, especially the urban poor, with lunch. Unknown to this vendor, he may play a very important role in shaping the behavior of many persons: what time they eat, how much they spend and how often they consume a particular meal. Moreover, he has chosen a strategic location, Independence Square, the hub of formal and informal activity in Port of Spain. Due to these factors his business can thrive. This type of industry is not unique to Trinidad. In other Caribbean islands vendors set up stalls in strategic locations. Moreover many busy pedestrians are able to stop and have a meal. In Roseau, Dominica a snack which can be found at many vendor stalls in the early around the city is bake (a fried flour based snack) and codfish. This is usually available in the early mornings and at midday.

 The vendors depend on workers in surrounding government buildings and businesses for their daily income and the workers and customers of the formal sector depend on the vendors for their meals. However as posited by Daniel's (2004), persons sometimes misidentify these two sectors as separate entities and enough attention is not given to the informal sector. This has been the case in Port of Spain since the early 1990s, where authorities and vendors along Independence square have been clashing.  In recent times this has continued to be a matter of controversy.
  
This is further explained in the video below by the Trinidad Express Newspaper.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/videos/---VENDORS-UPSET-2759---229341621.html

 January 1, 2015 was the date slated for the vendors to be permanently relocated in the Port of Spain capital, however the City Corporation is yet to deliver (Trinidad express 2015).  It is the aim of the authors to further explore these and other issues related to employment in the urban center, Port of Spain.

References:

Daniels, P,W. 2004. "Urban Challenges:the Formal and Informal Economies in Mega-cities. " Elsevier 21 (6) : 501-511. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2004.08.00

Mumford, Lewis.1938. The Culture of Cities. New York:Harcourt, Brace and Company. Acessed February 3, 2015. http://myelearning.sta.uwi.edu/file.php/25346/Lewis_Mumford_Introduction_The_Culture_of_Cities_1938_xid-3429222_2.PDF

“Salvatori Vendors Get More Time,” Trinidad Express, January 1, 2015, accessed February 4, 2015,  http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business/Salvatori-vendors-get-more-time-287301291.html?m=y&smobile=y 

 “Vendors Upset,” Trinidad Express, October 25, 2013, accessed February 4, 2015, http://www.trinidadexpress.com/videos/---VENDORS-UPSET-2759---229341621.html