MAYOR DESMOND McKenzie of Kingston, and Town Clerk, Errol Green, deserve commendation for the campaign they are personally leading to remove illegal signs in the Corporate Area. This is an example of how 'zero tolerance' can be effective in enforcing the laws against such random disfigurement of Kingston, a capital city that must rank high on the 'ramshackle' scale.
By not enforcing building codes over the years, the authorities have allowed Kingston to deteriorate into a 'hodge podge' of buildings, an indiscriminate mixture of commercial and residential structures, many sited at the edge of slums and shacks. Add to this decrepitude the piles of garbage that line the streets and clog the gullies and drains, and we marvel that Kingstonians are not overwhelmed by a sense of shame at the sorry state of the environment in which they live and work.
In Europe, architecture, of all the arts, more so than painting, sculpture, music or dance, reflects the civic pride of cities. England is not quite in this grand tradition although it boasts some architectural gems. Kingston has few buildings that would rank in the forefront of an admirable architectural tradition. On the contrary, Gordon House must be one of the ugliest and nondescript parliament buildings in the world. Even a pleasant campus like the University of the West Indies has recently been marred by the new complex to house the Mona Institute of Business, a cluster of pre-cast ribbed walls reminiscent of a prison.
Removing illegal signs is a step in the right direction. Rehabilitating Hope Botanical Gardens is another, as is the establishing of Emancipation Park. The public needs to get an update from the KSAC on the inventory of derelict buildings, and a schedule of when they will be demolished. Urgent replacement of missing signs with street names needs to be addressed all over the city.
Overiding all of these specifics are the soon to be announced plans for the redevelopment of Kingston, which we hope will include some small allegiance to aesthetics and architectural beauty. We need to lift the spirits as well as the living standards of our citizens.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
