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Category: Article

The Mhurikay: A Case for an Additional New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) Modality by Cindy Archat

Posted on by Andie Spencer

The Mhurikay: A Case for an Additional New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) Modality

The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC), through its housing portfolio, assesses government owned lands for future utilization, undertakes pre-planning and planning assessments, plans and implements housing projects. MEGJC also monitors the implementation of joint ventures and facilitation projects, upgrades existing sites, maintains infrastructure prior to handing over to local authorities and maintains government owned rental housing units and properties.

One of the flagship initiatives under the housing portfolio is the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP), which was established in 2018 by Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, under the larger Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme. The NSHP was developed to improve the housing condition of the country’s poor and disadvantaged population by providing quality, affordable and sustainable housing.

In order to maximize its effectiveness, the NSHP has been divided into three (3) implementation modalities:

  • The provision of indigent housing
  • Relocation of vulnerable communities facing imminent risk
  • The Upgrading of Tenements (‘Big Yards’)

However, while these modalities have been well-received and very successful, there may be room for additional considerations in the form of a gated community targeted specifically at the country’s poor and indigent population. Similar to the upgrading of tenements, this proposed modality examines establishing a family centred community for various families in need in one central location but includes additional amenities for the identified families.

For more Information Check out the following Document:

A Case for an Additional New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) Modality by Cindy Archat.

Reimagining the Gateway to Kingston by Lajoy Edghill

Posted on by Andie Spencer

Reimagining the Gateway to Kingston: Why City Entrances Matter

The entrance to a city offers more than just access-it sets the tone for experience. Like the cover of a book or the overture to a symphony, city gateways are the starting point of perception, and can shape lasting impressions of place, culture, and potential. For Kingston, Jamaica’s capital and commercial heart, this concept takes on heightened significance.

Despite our country’s global influence, renowned for reggae, athletics, and natural beauty, the entrances to our cities often fail to reflect our dynamism. This is especially true for Kingston, a city rich in cultural, creative, and historical significance. Today, the arrival route from the Norman Manley International Airport and the Port Royal Cruise Port leaves much to be desired.

This article makes the case for revitalizing Kingston’s primary city gateway—transforming it into a vibrant, welcoming corridor that reflects our identity and invites investment, civic pride, and cultural celebration. Drawing from global case studies and urban design research, we explore how the transformation of city entrances has catalyzed urban renewal elsewhere, and why Kingston is poised for the same.

The Power of the First Impression

A city’s entrance provides a literal and metaphorical window for perception of the city’s identity. Cities are complex, living organisms that evolve to meet social, economic, cultural, environmental and technological needs. Yet even in their complexity, cities have identities-distinct characteristics shaped by people, place, and history.

Kevin Lynch defines identity as “the distinguishing character of a person or thing,” or more specifically, “the extent to which a person can recognize or recall a place as being distinct from other places” (Lynch, 1981). For Kingston, our distinctiveness is unquestionable. But is it immediately visible to someone just arriving?

The existing approach from the airport to the city core is both underwhelming and unreflective of our global cultural capital. This gateway instead ranges from bland to deteriorated in aesthetics and functionality, and does not paint a justifiable first impression of our nation’s capital. This mismatch between perception and reality presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

For more Information Check out the following Document:
MEGJC Thought Leadership Document