A man stands on a plot of land and a seed is planted in his imagination. He calls his gardeners who specialize in carpentry and bricklaying; woodwork and tiling; plumbing and 'landscaping'. And before them sprouts a garden of concrete and steel where families can come and sit on benches in the shade provided by concrete eaves and children dash around on paved car-parks.
The beauty of the grasses and trees that once stood there is now gone, replaced with a building supposedly "better suited" to the space flanked by the oil-field of Trinidad and commercial buildings. The only reminder of its splendid past is a few potted plants lining the corridor that lead to glass doors of banks, food places and a casino.
Taken at Pointe-a-Pierre
Taken near the 'heart' of Chaguanas.
(Owner: "Mr. R")
Surrounding this plot of land are apartment buildings and many family homes. It is prime real-estate in an area up and coming, that may soon give tough competition to the 'central Chaguanas'. He has been approached many times before, by businessmen greedy to grab land to build complexes to make profit... and each and every time he has refused.
"Green spaces are much too important in any country and is taken for granted here in Trinidad. I am not becoming part of the money hungry many. I prefer to be part of the contented few. This land is family legacy and serves a much better purpose as it is." -Mr. R.
How comforting it was to hear those words as a geographer who understands the impact that green spaces have in any place. As countries grow and expand and internal migration into urban areas increase at near ridiculous rates, things like green spaces become an expensive pleasure. Where we see "social, economic, cultural and psychological services especially for the well-being of the urban dwellers and for tourists as well" (Urban Green Spaces and an Integrative Approach to Sustainable Environment, Shah Md. Atiqul Haq), many urban planners see wasted opportunities to erect skyscrapers and housing complexes. According to Shah Md. Atiqul Haq, urban green spaces can have ecological benefits, help in pollution control, increase biodiversity, provide energy savings, increase property value, improve health and general well-being on top of being aesthetically pleasing. But all these benefits tend to be overlooked as they are more long term. Our planners mostly see short-term looking for 'now-for-now' gratification.
It's sad how pace of life affects most people and their use of their green spaces. They look for instant rewards as if replacing green with concrete is as easy as buying a scratch card and winning a prize. The quickening pace of life is making people rethink the way they use their spaces that have been serving a much greater, although often overlooked purpose for years. People move into urban life and the natural aspects that helped make the urban attractive is replaced by stone and concrete and steel to provide more housing and amenities and activities. Now all these are fine and well, but at what cost? Why can't we strike a balance instead of striking out some places in favour of others?
Yes, the fast pace of urban life leaves green spaces literally buried in the dark under the concrete jungles of our cities. But, as "Mr. R" showed us, urban life can also be slow. Slow to forget the legacy of the past and the importance of every place in the grander scheme of city life. Slow to conform to the change pounding hungrily at its door.
