Urban and Rural Revitalization Plan
 
   
Manifesto Pages: 67-72
 

 

The JLP will place special emphasis on the unique issues facing urban inner city and poor rural communities and devise focused strategies to address these problems to improve our communities and make them more beautiful.

 

Current Issues in Urban Areas

 

  • The urban population in Jamaica has increased dramatically from 32% in 1960 to over 50% in 2000.
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  • The highest population densities in Jamaica are in Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine and St. James.
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  • High migration from rural to urban areas has placed a heavy burden on urban areas to provide for its residents.
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  • The increase in population and high migration levels have also resulted in a severe housing shortage and overcrowding particularly in many inner city communities.
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  • Inner city areas suffer from extremely high levels of poverty, illiteracy, teenage pregnancies, drug use, youth unemployment and high crime rates.
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  • Many inner city communities, such as downtown Kingston, are blighted areas which suffer from dilapidated infrastructure, including poor roads and buildings, and broken down sewer systems.
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  • Many inner city areas lack sufficient open “green” areas and recreational parks or public areas are in poor condition.
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  • Legal access to water, electricity and telephone services are severely limited in many inner city communities, where residents often resort to illegal connections and similar forms of access.

 

  • The majority of parishes in Jamaica are predominantly rural.
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  • The rural population includes a large number of farmers or other agricultural workers (who make up almost 60% of the goods-producing employed labour force).
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  • Many rural communities suffer from particularly high levels of unemployment, especially among women and young people (under 25).
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  • Infrastructure facilities (such as roads) are poor in many rural communities, some of which still have no access to electricity, water or telephone service.
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  • The incidence of poverty in rural areas (24.1% in 2001) is the highest in Jamaica and is more than three times as high as the incidence of poverty in the Kingston metropolitan area (7.6% in 2001).
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  • Inadequate access to quality housing and a high level of informal settlement (“squatting”) are among the most serious issues facing many residents in rural areas.
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  • Many rural residents do not own registered titles to land and have limited means of acquiring titles to land (including land they currently occupy).

Urban and Rural

Renewal Plan

 

#1 Prepare a comprehensive National Physical Development Plan to identify strategic areas and initiatives within a sustainable development framework.

 

#2 Prepare sustainable development plans for each parish (already underway by the National Environmental Planning Agency).

 

#3 Build 15 new markets, implement a major market relocation initiative to provide appropriate and attractive accommodation for informal vendors, and complete the West Kingston market development plan to relocate downtown vendors.

 

#4 Launch a national infrastructure upgrading and beautification programme to clean up the parks and other public areas and make them more attractive. Add new areas for beautification to eliminate the “uglification” of Jamaica.

 

#5 Launch a national road maintenance programme for continuous upkeep

and repair of damaged roads to keep roadways, drains, structure and roadsides in good repair, and clear of debris

 

 

#6 Revitalize the railway system to provide better transportation and to support our farmers.

 

#7 Build a new dam in St. Catherine to provide increased water supply to Southern Jamaica and build a desalinization plant in Ferry Spring.

 

#8 Extend the outreach of rural electrification with solar, wind and other alternate sources of power.

 

#9 Restructure the transportation system in downtown Kingston to redeploy buses to four compass points to clear the parade.

 

#10 Redevelop derelict areas in depressed urban areas (such as downtown Kingston) for use by vendors for shopping arcades.

 

#11 Introduce low cost housing (post and panel or board units to replace dilapidated housing.

 

#12 Complete the waterfront re-developments in Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.

 

#13 Promote planned development of informal settler (“squatter”) areas by providing roads, water and lights in site and service communities.

 

#14 Place strategic focus on designated “Re-Development Zones” (such as the Kingston waterfront) and enter into strategic alliances with (and provide incentives to) major infrastructure redevelopment firms to launch major revitalization initiatives to provide improved residential and commercial buildings and related infrastructure in these areas.

 

#15 Restructure, refocus and increase funding for the Social Development Commission to target improving infrastructure (e.g., community centres and playing fields) in rural communities.

 

#16 Develop a comprehensive plan based on an island-wide survey to provide adequate and appropriate infrastructure needs for townships and major villages in the services required for a good quality of life: housing, clinics, water, roads, electricity, telephones, school, community centres and libraries. These will enhance rural life and discourage urban drift.