Kingston Being Transformed into Destination City

Kingston, the seat of Government and the capital of Jamaica, is the centre of trade and commerce in the island, with many companies and organisations having a base there.

The 330-year-old city, which includes the bustling downtown market district, has the seventh largest natural harbour in the world, is a cultural Mecca, bursting with important heritage sites and attractions and the birthplace of the world-famous reggae music.

The city has grown exponentially over the years and is poised for even further development.

It is being positioned into an attractive destination city that attracts tourists through its history, culture and entertainment, ultimately shaping Kingston into the “pearl of the Antilles, the light of the Caribbean Sea”.

Kingston has a rich history, having been established on July 22, 1692 as a new town for settlement after the earthquake of June 7 of that year that devastated Port Royal.

In 1703, a catastrophic fire forced the remaining residents of Port Royal into Kingston and by 1713, the area was declared a parish and it continued to grow in both size and importance.

In 1872, Kingston became the official capital of the island following the growth in shipping and commercial activity and the rapid population increase sparked by these activities.

With Kingston becoming the seat of trade and main port of entry into the island, the peripheral economic activities that once revolved around Port Royal, found a new home in Kingston.

What started as a town on 200 acres of land, Kingston now stands on 3,954 acres with its parameters extending beyond the parish itself.

Speaking with JIS News, Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Senator Delroy Williams, notes that over the years, downtown has become the centre of commercial activity with about 2,000 to 4,000 vendors selling wares ranging from food to clothing and household items.

“What you have now is that the population has grown and Kingston, as a centre of commerce has grown, so, there is far more business activity in this urban space than you would have had in the 1900s,” he says.

He notes that there are far more pedestrians, street vendors and cars using and competing for the space, which shows no sign of slowing.

Plans are being put in place to accommodate the growth – including encouraging investment from the private sector – while preserving the historical and cultural value of Kingston.

Over the short-term, the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) is looking at restructuring the market district and the “softening” of parts of downtown.

These include the reorganisation of Chapel Lane to allow for ease of traffic and vending and to facilitate better interaction among buyers, sellers, motorists and emergency vehicles that traverse the market district.

Other plans include reopening Jubilee Market to remove some 60 vendors from the streets and reorganising the Rae Rae market to facilitate both vendors and some taxi operators.

To soften the space, Mayor Williams says the municipality will continue to build out of the concept of the Kulture Key space, blending recreation and business activity, and creating a robust nightlife.

“When we put in the bricks [that line the streets of the Kulture Key] and we started to do the murals, part of it was to soften the area, so that people could come into the space and feel relaxed,” he says.

The Kulture Key aims to transform downtown Kingston into a cultural district. The project area, which covers sections of Water Lane, Tower Street, Duke Street and Church Street, is designed to have the shape of a key. The space will showcase Jamaican food, craft, artwork, music and dance.

 

Downtown Kingston is the home of numerous fast-food outlets, banking and financial institutions. Entities such as Digicel Jamaica and GraceKennedy are headquartered there and the area is the location of Jamaica’s newest hotel, the ROK Hotel, which adds to the offerings of the city.

The Government is encouraging increased investment downtown and has set an example by establishing new offices for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on Port Royal Street and has broken ground for the construction of the new Parliamentary building at National Heroes circle.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said that the World Bank has been engaged in developing a project for the urban renewal of downtown.

“We are very serious about that, and we believe that this can be a major catalyst for economic growth in this area,” he noted.

The Prime Minister was speaking at the handover of the World Bank-funded Port Royal Street Coastal Revetment Project earlier this year.

The $1.3-billion Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF)-implemented project is designed to protect the Port Royal corridor from continued erosion and the effects of storm surges.

It comprises construction of one kilometre of composite seawall and armour stone revetment structure, upgrading of drainage features, rehabilitation and raising of one kilometre of existing roadway and installation of a 4.7-metre-wide boardwalk to improve the site’s aesthetics and promote recreational activity along the shoreline.

The boardwalk will be the home of the KSAMC’s Kingston Music City Walk of Fame, which will honour famous public figures in the Jamaican music industry with medallions along the boardwalk.

The Prime Minister said that the project has improved the aesthetics of the area.

“It just looks so much better; it gives a sense as if Kingston is finally coming alive as a city. Kingston is finally starting to make tiny baby steps to fulfil its true potential,” he noted.

 

The restoration and rehabilitation of downtown also aims to bring back the grandeur of the city, with its architecture of previous centuries, and includes the work being carried out on the Ward

Theatre and the St. William Grant Park, both located in the historically significant Parade area.

The plans entail preserving the historically rich assets, which include the Simón Bolívar Cultural Centre and the Coke Methodist and Kingston Parish churches.

“I would say the view of the municipality is that the Parade area would best serve the residents of Kingston and St. Andrew if it was a more pedestrianised area,” Mayor Williams tells JIS News.

“The Parade area should allow for the interaction of residents and visitors with the culture and history. In my estimation, promoting the space that allows for that interaction could mean that you remove the public transport from the space and limit the vehicular movement,” he points out.

The management and preservation of the Parade area of downtown is part of the long-term development for downtown Kingston.

Other long-term plans include the development of a multifunctional transport centre, designated vending streets and the pedestrianisation of select areas.

“We believe that Beckford Street would be an ideal street vending area. [It] is one of those streets that we have marked and believe that we could develop,” adds the Mayor of Kingston.