Urban growth and decline
By Marjorie Henry, Contributor

Letting it all hang out at New Generation's summer camp. - Contributed

In the last lesson, I started to share with you information to explain the growth of Kingston within the last 20 years. As a quick recapitulation of the lesson, it was stated that the rapid population growth resulted from the high rates of rural-to-urban migration as well as natural increase. This movement of the population towards the city of Kingston was as a result of the opportunities offered for jobs, education, business, commerce, sports, entertainment, and other services. The migrants in turn swelled the rate of natural increase.

The reference textbooks tell us that the population of the Kingston Metropolitan Area experienced its greatest increase in growth (23.9 per cent) between 1970 and 1981. The city actually reached its peak population in 1960. Since then, the rate of growth has declined. In the period 1982-1980, the city's population grew by 9.7 per cent, and by 1991-2001, the percentage growth was only 0.25 per cent. Over the past 20 years, the population of Kingston declined. This is partly as a result of counter-urbanisation. The growth experienced in the 1970s and 1980s contributed to over-population of the city. There are several contributing factors to the decline in the population of Kingston. Some are highlighted below.

Decline in Kingston's population

Some land has been redeveloped for business so there is less room for housing.

Many people have gone to less-crowded areas in the suburbs, where living conditions are better.

Mainly as a result of government policies, low-income housing has been developed outside of the city, for example, Portmore.

The development of road networks, for example Highway 2000, and the widening of roads, facilitate daily commuting from residences outside the city to work in the city.

Robert B. Potter, one of the authors of The Contemporary Caribbean, made a statement in reference to urbanisation in the Caribbean, which is quite applicable to the decline of population in the city of Kingston. He stated that suburban relocation occurs mainly among the wealthier classes, in part a consequence of their desires to distance themselves from the overcrowded inner cities, and in part a consequence of rising incomes and rising expectations to seek the status provided by such a 'metropolitan' residential move.

Development of shopping plazas

The development of shopping plazas, and in particular hypermarkets, on the outskirts of the city where land is available, could also be taken as a contributing factor to the decline in the population of the city.

Associated with the growth of Kingston are certain problems and benefits. You must be aware of these as required by Objective 6 of the current section of study in the syllabus. For those of you who live in the KMA, reflect for a while on the problems that have arisen in Kingston as a result of urbanisation. Do you experience any difficulty in getting to and from school? If so, what contributes to that?

Have you noticed where some people live, the type of houses they live in and the conditions under which they live? Is everyone gainfully employed? Why are they not employed? What do they do instead of formal employment? The answers to these will provide the information you need on the problems of urbanisation.

Although the focus is on the city of Kingston, for those of you living in the rural areas, reflect on the situation in the major towns in your parish. Similar situations exist even if on a smaller scale. The discussion continues in the next lesson.

I leave you with a thought: Knowing what you want to achieve and practising some good time management habits can go a long way toward helping you achieve the things you need and want to do.

Marjorie Henry is a vice-principal at Glenmuir High School and is head of the Geography Department. She teaches the subject at the CSEC Level.