Smart Land Use to be Discussed at World Town Planning Day Symposium Nov. 8

Accelerating economic growth through smart land use and comprehensive master plans will be discussed at tomorrow’s (November 8) World Town Planning Day symposium.

The symposium, which is being organised by the National Environment and Planning Agency, will be held at the National Housing Trust (NHT) Overtime Facility in New Kingston, under the theme ‘Building Resilient Communities & Cities through Smart Solutions’.

Representative of the Industry Council and the Jamaica Institute of Planners, Martin Addington, tells JIS News that the topic forms part of a larger proposal, which has been in the works for a few years.

“We have been working on this proposal, and the key component here is the strategic use of land to foster smart, resilient and sustainable communities,” he says, adding that “sample master plans have been developed for the Kingston Metropolitan Region and will be showcased at tomorrow’s event.”

Master plans have also been developed for areas such as the Greater Bernard Lodge Town Centre, the Kingston markets, and commercial district for downtown, Kingston.

Mr. Addington, who is also an Urban Planner, shares that the main aim is to “cover the entire island by trying to expedite economic growth through the creation of actionable comprehensive master plans at both the regional and district levels”.

It will also reduce congestion, improve transit reliability, and enhance the movement of people and goods throughout the region.

In this, he says that the areas would evolve into transit-oriented districts that would have smart, resilient and sustainable communities as well as a connection to a new mass transit network.

The Urban Planner also notes that a proposal is being drafted to transform the Kingston markets and commercial district in downtown Kingston “into a completely mixed-use district where it would have commercial activities on all the lower levels and residential units on the upper levels”.

To facilitate a mixed-use district, however, he explains that “we would increase the density of the area and have buildings going up six to eight stories and in the centre of each block we would have some recreational space for other residents as well as parking facilities and other conveniences”.

The proposal’s aim is to create 15-minute districts and have this replicated in the other districts where every convenience is in close proximity.

“This would give the people the choice of not having to use any mode of transportation, as everything would be within walking distance,” Mr. Addington argues.

Highlighting the significance of the proposal, he tells JIS News that “by adopting best practice planning development models from around the world, we expect to address not only the layout of these districts and converting them, but to also try and solve a lot of the other underlying socio-economic issues that are plaguing our development”.

As a result of this, strategies have been developed to increase homeownership, lower the construction costs, create more equitable economic growth and reduce the cost of living.

He says, “With proper planning, I believe this [proposed land-use strategy] will create resilient communities if all the needed infrastructure that can assist in making the districts function more efficiently and creating new opportunities for new growth are put in place,”

Additionally, he explains that the plan is to be able to accommodate the growing population without creating urban sprawl by ensuring that the increased density does not create a strain on existing infrastructure.

“We must plan these districts thoroughly, and we have a comprehensive plan to not only build them but also to bring the stakeholders into the planning process so that we can integrate industry growth,” he says.