Kingston Creative on Wednesday (July 24), unveiled the second phase of its ambitious Adopt-A-Block downtown transformation programme.

The Adopt-A-Block initiative aims to transform eight city blocks along the waterfront—from the Institute of Jamaica on East Street to the National Gallery on Orange Street—into a full-fledged cultural centre. This takes the organisation one step further in making Downtown Kingston a world-class Creative City.

A Creative City, according to UNESCO, is a city that places creativity and cultural industries at the heart of its development plan at the local level.

This transformation is part of a broader vision of creative placemaking, which involves urban design: the installation of greenery, shading, seating and lighting, and economic development by facilitating richer nightlife tied with more community engagement to create a safe night economy.

Kingston is already a 332-year-old city ripe with rich historical tapestry and has significantly impacted many Jamaicans’ lives over the centuries.

For the next phase, which will begin in September 2024, Kingston Creative is encouraging individuals, corporations, and community groups based in Jamaica or throughout the diaspora to contribute towards the $30-million target for the initiative.

“The impact that you get for this investment is growth in visitor arrivals; growth in tour revenues; increased spending in the hotels like the ROK Hotel, which is right around the corner; increased entertainment spend; and Brand Jamaica is improved. Instead of people having one concept of downtown, you can give them something else, and what that does is make Jamaica more internationally competitive as an investment location,” said Kingston Creative executive director Andrea Dempster Chung.

National Bakery, Digicel and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have already committed to fund the initiative.

National Bakery has pledged J$3 million plus a new mural for Water Lane, while the Digicel Foundation and PwC have pledged donated J$3 million each.