The renaissance of downtown Kingston…. Economic rebirth of a city

Urban decay is not an irreversible phenomenon. In fact, the renewal of blighted urban areas is not unlike the transformation of urban areas not classified as blighted. 

A prime example of a recovered blighted area is Harlem, New York and one of a transformed area is South Beach, Florida, both in the USA. In the case of Harlem, the blight was rampant with derelict buildings, unkempt neighbourhoods, high incidence of crime, low employment and a deteriorating quality of life. Today, Harlem is replete with refurbished buildings, a vibrant and comparatively wealthy population and consequently a much improved quality of life. The story of South Beach is one of a lifestyle transformation. The community moved from a sleepy dormitory for the elderly to a vibrant venue for the stars, teeming with night clubs and high class restaurants - a magnet for local and international jet-setters. In both cases, economic development drove the transformation.

We expect that the same engine of resurgence, whether viewed as a correction of urban decay or a neighborhood transformation, will apply to the city of Kingston in the Caribbean Commonwealth territory of Jamaica.

Urban decay has its roots in missed or ignored economic opportunities, combined with the inexorable flight of capital to other locations of higher returns. As capital leaves, it signals that the area is a tainted economic environment so it discourages new investment; disposable income shrinks and lifestyles change to a lower level of subsistence. During the 1970’s, the perception of crime in downtown Kingston resulted in capital fleeing in fear, leaving behind abandoned buildings that enabled squatting and the general deterioration of the architecture.

The continuing presence in downtown Kingston of the Jamaica Conference Centre; the Jamaica Stock Exchange; the Bank of Jamaica; commercial conglomerates such as GraceKennedy Limited, the ICD Group of Companies; banking giants, Scotiabank and the largest concentration of accounting and legal firms on the island, all stand as impressive architectural holdouts in an otherwise decaying environment and give the unmistakable message that downtown Kingston is not all lost.

Some elements of potential recovery are visible, not least of which is a defined focus on Kingston by the Government through its urban and rural planning agency, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), created in 1968 for just this mission. The UDC works within a designated development zone that captures not just downtown Kingston, but much of the contiguous properties including Port Royal, a historic but sleepy peninsula that once was the hideout of pirates.

In 1995, the Urban Renewal (Tax Relief) Act was passed that granted tax benefits to companies that wanted to locate or invest in downtown Kingston. The regulations to that Act endowed an aggressive programme of tax benefits designed to attract risk capital back to downtown Kingston. The two most recent applicants, Digicel and Guardsman Group, among the largest players in the telecom and security industry respectively, accessed the programme to relocate their headquarters to this area. As a result of this positive momentum, speculative capital has rushed in. Consequently, much of the prime waterfront properties are either sold or are under inspection for potential sale.  

The solution to the resurgence of downtown Kingston is not easy, but it is conceptually uncomplicated. Economic opportunity motivates capital and capital is motivated by returns. The programme for the revival of Kingston began and will continue with the presentation of the economic opportunities which abound. The unique mix of Kingston’s rich history, heritage, natural resources, spatial advantage, base infrastructure and strong brand provides a mixed bag of opportunities which beckons to investment capital. 

The UDC functions substantially as an enabling force in this process to seed recovery, establish infrastructure and support programmes that improve community efforts at integration into the development process. These factors are already in the mix.

There is already good evidence that as the positive momentum builds, economic fear reduces. With increased commercial and consumer confidence, the continued broadening of the economic base is anticipated, which, along with employment, presents other investment opportunities. Given its unique advantage, Kingston is positioned to attract investments in music and arts, entertainment, data entry and information service, financial services, light manufacturing and tourism.

As urban planners, the UDC, in discharging its role in the creation of development plans and guidelines, recognises that, within the context of a market driven economy, the facilitation of private enterprise is a key enabler to the implementation of those plans and the rebirth of the city.

Kingston is the city of possibilities.