1st Edition
Sustainable Urbanisation in the Caribbean
Sustainable Urbanisation in the Caribbean critically examines the socio-geographic context of island states, prioritising the nuanced experiences of Caribbean island states and territories that are largely considered small island developing states (SIDS), against the backdrop of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Increases in urban density place enormous pressure on existing infrastructures and natural resources, exacerbating social inequalities and environmental risks. While the UN SDGs aim to mitigate these risks, the reality of implementing these goals in the context of SIDS is complex. Whereas Sustainable Urbanisation in the Caribbean does not claim to be a comprehensive assessment of policy responses to the SDGs, this edited volume seeks to generate problem-focused, policy-relevant, demand-driven research, thereby permitting the geographical contexts of island states to contribute to the development of proper causal theory about sustainable urbanisation.
This book will be of interest to students of public policy, urban sustainability and climate change, as well as government policy analysts, development practitioners, urban planners and UN agencies working in SIDS.
List of figures
List of tables
List of contributors
Preface
Introduction Tracy A. McFarlane, Eris D. Schoburgh and Stephanie McDonald
SECTION 1: Institutions, Well-being and Social Capital in the Urban Environment
Chapter 1: Institutional design for sustainable urbanization in the Caribbean
Eris D. Schoburgh
Chapter 2: Policies and practices for universal health care in Caribbean Island Countries
Amitava Basu
Chapter 3: Dwelling strategies and ‘resilience-thinking’ as forms of sustainable urbanisation
David Howard
Chapter 4: Steps towards sustainability with participatory action research: Psychosocial Support for Teen Mothers in a Jamaican Urban High School
Tracy A. McFarlane and Jonique Tyrell
Chapter 5: Is the Caribbean urban landscape a looming mental health crisis? Urban spaces, Caribbean realities and mental health urban spaces and mental health
Jasneth Mullings
Chapter 6: ‘The work must go on’: How journalists cope with covering urban trauma in Jamaica
Brian Walker
SECTION II: Land and Waterbody Economy
Chapter 7: Decolonisation of historic Caribbean Urbanism: Revisiting an architectonic sustainable dilemma
Patricia Green
Chapter 8: Realizing the potential of urban agriculture in Kingston, Jamaica
Sonia Gatchair
Chapter 9: The blue economy and sustainable development in Eastern Caribbean SIDS
Sarah Mahadeo
Chapter 10: Between Forests and Policies: Amerindian Perspectives on Guyana's Green
Economy
LauraJán Obermuller
SECTION III: Risk Mitigation and Adaptation in Urban Spaces
Chapter 11: Creating Adaptive Smart Cities: ICT Integration and the Future of Disaster Risk Management in Urban Jamaica
Shar-Lee Amori
Chapter 12: From vulnerability to sustainability: The case of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Idelia Ferdinand
SECTION IV: City Governance and Economy
Chapter 13: Reframing city governance in the English-speaking Caribbean
Eris D. Schoburgh
Chapter 14: The expanding role of the city and the changing nature of violence in Jamaica
Michelle Munroe
Chapter 15: Public space governance in the Caribbean: Trends, reflections, and responses for the future
Renelle Sargeant and Simone A. Dias
Chapter 16: Are special economic zones catalysts for sustainable urbanization and regional development?
Sandria Tennant
Chapter 17: Community transportation: The role of taxis in transformation of household livelihood
Shinique Walters, Olivene Burke and Roger Bent
SECTION V: Lesson-drawing, Next Practice and Conclusion
Chapter 18: Sustainable urban regeneration and European Union funding: Stimulating the micro-economy of Valletta
Malcolm Borg
Chapter 19: The ‘Build Back Better’ Aquagram Program: The Next Practice for the Caribbean
Graham Osborne
Conclusion: The way forward
Tracy A. McFarlane, Eris D. Schoburgh and Stephanie McDonald
Index
Biography
Eris Dawn Schoburgh, is Professor of Public Policy and Management in the Department of Government and former Associate Dean in the Faculty of the Social Sciences, at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. Her general area of academic specialisation is public policy and management. She is Vice-President of the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM); a member of the Editorial Board of Public Management Review (PMR); Board of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF); International Public Policy Association (IPPA) and the International Political Science Association (IPSA). She is Past President of the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA).
Tracy McFarlane, a Senior Lecturer at The University of the West Indies, Mona, combines her expertise in Social and Personality Psychology with a focus on Health Psychology. Having completed doctoral studies at The Graduate Center, CUNY and a post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, she is globally recognised for research in higher education, women’s health, social identity, immigrant adjustment and stigma. Currently leading a local team in a global study on work addiction, McFarlane consults with organisations in the public and private sectors to conduct psychosocial interventions that improve interpersonal/intergroup processes and psychosocial outcomes and contribute to societal problem-solving.
Stephanie McDonald is an Independent Policy Researcher with a Master of Science in International Public and Development Management and Bachelor of Science in International Relations from the University of the West Indies, Mona. She has demonstrated competencies data analytics and expert level understanding of Policy Writing and Monitoring and Evaluation.
