Develop metropolitan network
Published:Tuesday | April 30, 2013 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
For too long, public policy helped to foster this foolish notion that Kingston is the nation's economic and social saviour. Over time, it has helped to create economic imbalance, an injustice which gave preference to Kingston.
Ultimately, we had massive rural-to-urban migration. The results are evident in modern-day Jamaica. Apart from the tourist-resort fortresses, in comparison to, say, Trinidad, relatively very little urban development and renewal has taken place in Jamaica.
While Opposition Leader Andrew Holness' recommendation, in his Budget Debate presentation last week, to develop a new city is welcome, I believe we should instead think more strategically and move towards economic balancing by utilising the transit-oriented development concept to create four major metropolitan areas.
Knitted together by the historic railway lines, in addition to Kingston and Montego Bay Metropolitan Areas, there would be the Tri-parish Metropolitan Area, which would include May Pen, Mandeville and Santa Cruz; and the Northern Metropolitan Area, which would include Highgate, Port Maria and Annotto Bay.
I believe this would help to relieve overcrowding and inefficiencies in travel time. People would be able to travel by train and bus from the interior for work and play. The central government would provide better services in the metropolitan areas and Jamaica would see faster economic growth as the nation ignites from four major cylinders instead of one, Kingston.
MICHAEL BROWN
Washington, DC