The Big vs The Small

The BIG and the small?

This post will look at the differences in the manner waste is handled by large businesses and small businesses and their ability to dispose of their waste. What is the government doing to help small businesses and market vendors? The link between disparities in development and waste disposal is once again examined, showing that these two issues share a symbiotic relationship and affect each other .  

The BIG

This image was taken in the car park of a large supermarket on Henry Street, Port-of-Spain. Since the business owners own the land and it is large enough, they are able to provide their own waste disposal bins. 


The SMALL

In contrast the to picture above, smaller establishments that are located in strip malls or small buildings, are given no bins. This is an amenity that the government should provide for all businesses, be it one large dumpster in a designated area or several smaller ones placed in designated areas along every street. 

While the government seeks to create a first world nation, developing one side of the city creates a disparity within the city. The backwash effect comes into play. What is that? Well, while development of the CBD continues, the decay of the eastern side of the city also continues and increase. Less and less attention is given to this side of the town and the disorganisation as well as lack of enforcement of legislations lead to such outcomes as the ones in the above pictures. Some may argue that this is what makes the city, 'town'. However, an unkempt and generally disorganised periphery can make for an unhealthy environment and encourage crimes. Vendors and businessmen should be involved in the decision-making process in the development of the streets.

How is this disorganisation different from Post-Modern Urbanisim?

Post-Modern Urbanisation, as explained by Dear and Flusty (1998), deals with disorganisation of a city however, it applies to what the 'ideal' city would look like with its blocky buildings as opposed to cities today that have abstract patterns and designs very much like our own the National Academy for Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port-of-Spain. The type of disorganisation seen above deals with the lack of legislation and law enforcement, leading to aesthetically displeasing activities and a general chaos that highlights disparities in development of the city even more.

Article on Postmodern Urbanism: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-8306.00084#preview