World Town Planning Day to focus on smart land use
Vanassa McKenzie / Our Today
To commemorate World Town Planning Day today, November 8, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will be hosting a World Planning Day symposium to facilitate discussions around accelerating economic growth through smart land use and comprehensive master plans.
It will be championed under the theme ‘Building Resilient Communities & Cities through Smart
Solutions’.
“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,” said Martin Addington, a representative of the Industry Council and the Jamaica Institute of Planners.
“Sample master plans have been developed for the Kingston Metropolitan Region and will be showcased at tomorrow’s (today) event,” he added.
He explained that the main aim of this initiative is to expedite growth through the creation of actionable master plans at both the regional and district levels.
Addington also noted that a draft proposal is also in the works to transform the Kingston markets and commercial districts in downtown Kingston into a mixed-use district.
“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 residents as well as parking facilities and other conveniences,” he added.
He further explained that this proposal aims to create 15-minute districts and have this replicated in other districts where every convenience is in close proximity.
Additionally, he explained 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.
Comments