Trinidad&Tobago

Focus on East Port of Spain Development Company

Focus on East Port of Spain Development Company

Known as the cradle of Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural heritage and the birthplace of the nation’s carnival and steel band, the east of the capital, Port of Spain, has attracted a reputation for crime, violence and unemployment. However, efforts to regenerate the area are underway and its transformation has begun.

With a population of 92,000, according to the 2000 census, this large and diverse district in east Port of Spain is the oldest part of the capital and the birthplace of a number of the nation’s cultural icons.

Largely ignored by private investors, in 2005 the government stepped in and designated the area a special development zone. It created the East Port of Spain Development Company as the organisation entrusted with overseeing the area’s regeneration.

With a mandate to improve the economic, physical and social conditions of the area, the company is tackling pressing concerns such as high levels of crime. In 2009 it presented a development plan and launched a series of programmes and initiatives including the development of physical infrastructure, all fully funded by the government.

There’s a lot of history in the area that we can build on to develop the physical environment.

Deborah Thomas Managing Director of the East Port of Spain Development Company

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This article was published 30 January 2014
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