By ignoring the "spinoff" effects of urban growth and sprawl, planners in Jamaica have unwittingly encouraged the creation of slums and overcrowded urban centers, according to experts.
Weak and outdated developmental plans are among the major de-ficiencies urban planners are blaming for the strain upon the main urban centres in the country. They argue that over the years, successive governments lacked the political will to drive the process of planning in the country, leaving Kingston, sections of St. Catherine and even Montego Bay unable to manage the strain of haphazard urban development, resulting in the rise of numerous informal settlements around these hubs.
This has been due largely to heavy migration from Kingston and Clarendon to St. Catherine in the last 30 years. A lack of adequate housing in Kingston and St. Andrew has made St. Catherine, particularly Portmore and Old Harbour, the preferred place in which to reside for most people working in the Capital City. But their capacity to offer services and amenities is facing immense demands from the growing population.
According to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), St. Catherine has had three times the growth observed for all Jamaica, with a growth rate of 26.3 per cent in the last 10 years. It is now the parish with the largest population, standing at over 489,000 persons.
FULL STORY: Urban centres suffer from poor planning
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