An initiative for the redevelopment of Allman Town is under way. Co-ordinated by The Gleaner Company Ltd., the project being implemented in association with the University of Technology and several voluntary organisations could become a model to provide leadership for other communities.
Residents of the community themselves have sought assistance from the Urban and Regional Planning Division of the University of Technology. Dr. Carol Archer, Head of the Division, who spearheaded the preparation of the Allman Town Redevelopment Plan, said the people of Allman Town were not prepared to sit and wait for government help but were "ready to make things happen".
Much more of this can-do, self-help spirit is needed across the country for community development to happen. The Allman Town project has already attracted international funding from the Foundation for International Training, a subsidiary of CIDA.
The Allman Town Redevelopment Plan has clear objectives for creating jobs, improving infrastructure, providing skills training, and improving literacy levels. Several companies and institutions in and around the area have endorsed the project and are willing to assist. Elon Beckford of the Voluntary Social Organisation says the work of the various organisations would be co-ordinated to ensure better results. The Gleaner Company, through its Managing Director, Oliver Clarke, has defined its role as "to bring people together".
The special expertise of UTech in Urban and Regional Planning must be noted. While communities will have to take the lead in rescuing themselves from decay, the professional expertise residing in our institutions of higher learning should be more available to the urgent tasks of development. Money is not the only need, and often is not only the main need. We have seen a lot of financial inflows into development projects go down the drain in the absence of the capacity to use those resources to maximum effect.
The collaboration of agencies around a community initiative, with endorsement and support from an external funding institution, augurs well for the success of the Allman Town Redevelopment Plan.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
