Overcrowding

THE DARK SIDE OF URBANISATION - OVERCROWDING

THE CITY IS NOT A CONCRETE JUNGLE IT IS A HUMAN ZOO-DESMOND MORRIS



   On a Friday afternoon upon walking towards the Queens Park Savannah this is the maze on Charlotte Street I must maneuver through to get to my final destination. It is a clear portrayal of the chaos and confusion that is Port-of-Spain with vendors on the street side as well as in the road and citizens buzzing through the town.  By looking at the picture ones brain is automatically turn on, so much activity is taking place it is difficult to focus on one aspect alone which is exactly how I felt as a pedestrian.  The side walk was like a race track with no distinct road lines as citizens sped along the street taking down anything in its pathway. Vendors yelled at the top of their voices as they tried to make a sale and they were everywhere selling everything from fruits to vegetables to clothes to shoes just to name a few.
    This phenomenon is known as overcrowding. In 2012  the population within Port-of-Spain is estimated to be 330,000 persons, this figure is so high because as a urban entity it provides housing for many of the country's commercial, government, administrative services, transportation network and residents. It is the ideal pull factor as City Gate the country's main transportation system is located in Port-of-Spain, the infrastructure uses recent technology as buildings and roads are well functioning. Entertainment centres such as Movie Towne and Clubs such as 51 degrees and Zen are all located in Port-of-Spain. The countrys' top primary and secondary schools are located there; government offices such as Parliament, the headquarters for banks and many utilitarian companies( T.S.T.T. or T&TEC) are present therefore with so many resources present it is an ideal space for human attention. Unfortunately the same space that is attractive is limited. As a result overcrowding occurs. The picture shows one small part of Charlotte street and look at how jumbled it is .
     Due to high rents and limited space the majority of the buildings in Port-of-Spain are literally joined at the hip and are mostly high raised. This is so to utilise space efficiently but, it creates problems as was seen in October of last year when one store on Charlotte street caught fire led to a ripple effect of near by stores leaving thirty persons jobless and businesses lost. Additionally the lack of space results in street vending as persons can not afford the rent for land or it is simply not available. The street vending on Charlotte street got so bad that vehicular traffic was not allowed on a Saturday morning and the streets were drowning with shoppers and vendors. The government however made it mandatory for vendors to get permits in an  attempt to curb the problem.
Apart from the issues mentioned above overcrowding results in increased temperatures in urban spaces. This occurs because there is an increase in the quantity of buildings and a decrease in the greenary hence the albedo effect is altered significantly resulting in an increase in the overall temperature of the city. Changes in the water cycle also occur again because of the reduction of greenary present . It also has detrimental effects on the environment such as land, air and water pollution.
   Overcrowding additionally leads to the phenomenom known as urban sprawl whereby the city is expanded to surrounding areas. This can be seen in Trinidad with ST Anns, Woodbrook and Belmont just to name a few. A few measures can be taken to reduce overcrowding in cities , these include; decentralisation, the creation and enforcement of laws pertaining particularly to street vendors, and the creation of new towns. This would reduce the rural to urban migration that occurs and provide the city with more free space so it can be utilised comfortably.

All cities are mad: but the madness is gallant. All cities are beautiful: but the beauty is grim.-Christopher Morley

http://www.thedailyherald.com/regional/2-news/21921-30-jobless-after-fire-hit-downtown-port-of-spain.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1260329/Worlds-largest-cities-morphing-overcrowded-mega-regions-defined-poverty-pollution-UN-report-warns.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/19552480/Port-of-Spain-Case-Study