Noisy, dirty, smelly, sweltering, congested, nowhere to safely walk and nowhere to park.
These are the impressions that the City of Roseau imparts in the minds of most residents and visitors. To begin with, the grandiose title of city – which under British rule may have been earned by virtue of its diocesan cathedral – is misleading. In reality, Roseau is a market town, the layout of which has not significantly changed since the 19th century. Its streets and narrow lanes were laid out for horse and handcarts, not motorcars. If fever had not ravaged Portsmouth in earlier times, Roseau would not have become the capital of Dominica. Valid reasons can now be made for the capital to revert back to Portsmouth, but until that day arrives it behooves us to radically rethink Roseau.
The suggestion that I made in my previous commentary, for building the new library in the town center, was a bone of contention for many readers. However, I qualified my suggestion by stating that many areas of Roseau are in need of development and that we urgently need a comprehensive development plan. Such a plan would protect buildings of historical worth, encourage regeneration and guard against the piecemeal development that is presently blighting Roseau’s townscape.
Recently we have become adept at putting the right things in the wrong place: the sports stadium being one example and the Chinese Bridge another. Furthermore, we have become enamored with architecture that bears no relationship to our location. Vernacular architecture need not equate to being outmoded. What is right for Dubai isn’t necessarily right for a small island in the Caribbean. Incidentally, the Carnegie Library building does not reflect British colonial architecture but rather the 18th century timber framed buildings of North America.
Roseau has features which, if imaginatively developed, would make other cities envious. It has sea and river frontage together with a dramatic mountainous backdrop. The town center is compact and given shade, can be easily traversed on foot. On the other hand, Roseau’s open street drains have no place in this day and age and pavements should not serve as ad hoc carparks. Traffic congestion can be significantly reduced by re-routing through traffic, but not along the Bay Front or through the Botanic Gardens. There is an alternative route staring us in the face. Large cities overcome their parking problems by “park and ride” initiatives, whereas our small scale offers the better alternative of “park and walk”.
My DNO commentary titled The Art of Environment explains the importance of the townscape as opposed to individual components of the built environment. In that commentary – and others along similar lines – I stressed the need for formulating and implementing a Roseau Development Plan. In 2005 Baptiste & Associates Ltd., a local company located right here in Dominica, produced a 383-page development plan. But being locally conceived, as against originating in Barbados or Dubai, it has been largely ignored.
Unless an up-to-date development plan is formulated and implemented, Roseau will sink further into urban decay. The identity of places reflects the identity of ourselves, and I doubt that Dominicans want the opening sentence of this commentary to apply to their homeland. Surely the task is to create a town center that is worthy of an exemplary modern library. In the meantime, a restored Carnegie library building – and the grounds within which it stands – could serve as a fitting venue for a host of cultural programs.
I am sorry to say I was saddened by what I encountered as a Dominican visiting with a temporary disability. The sidewalks are so unsafe and some places no side walks. People park their cars across the drains leaving you with no space to walk , some cars are parked on both sides of the streets.
The government needs to implement car pool where a designated area is used outside the city for parking and to provide transportation to the city or a rule where you cannot enter the city as a lone passenger. I saw 4 family members from the same house who works in the city and all 4 in a separate vehicle. Absurd.
You are right DS the guys are bums.They talk about making Roseau a modern city,yet they don’t want to change anything.They talk about 20 years to do this and 50 years to do that,yet they do not say how long it took Dominica to recover from Maria.They say Skerrit has CBI money,but never tell us what UWP did with the hundreds of millions of dollars collected from the REENGINEERED citizenship programmeThey say DLP stole election but cannot tell us why UWP lost 1,163 votes in the last election,Hypocrites.They cannot say why they sold Domlec,a company worth $65,000,000 for $21,000,000.The cannot say why they gave government land to DSS.Corrupt teeth.
I endorse this well-written and insightful article. The proposal for Roseau to become a place primarily for pedestrian (and small electric vehicle ) traffic is one that is commendable. The most interesting comment however was this one:
“2005 Baptiste & Associates Ltd., a local company located right here in Dominica, produced a 383-page development plan. But being locally conceived, as against originating in Barbados or Dubai, it has been largely ignored.”
That is so true. Dominicans are walked upon in their own land. And herein lies the downfall of our nation – the slavish adoration for mysterious fly by night operators adept at under-hand/under the table deals so favored by this regime as opposed to using those on the island who sincerely care about our progress. Thanks for the wisdom shared.
@Patriot
Your comment is a commendable gift-package of truth and thoughtfulness to Dominicans.
This pig-headed concoction of crooks, renegades, infidels and bandits has no concept of government. They confuse government and party. They think government should only serve party supporters.
A country can only prosper when most of civil society is involved in decision making, especially, your best and brightest human resources. Some of these people include but not limited to entrepernuers, lawyers, farmers, contractors, engineers, teachers, health professionals and members of the opposition parties.
This pathetic group, that parades as a government, excludes all of the above and operates as an island unto itself.
No one individual or one individual group, has a monopoly on knowledge or intelligence. Dominica will never rise from the ashes once Skerrit continues his ‘one-manism’ policy.
What a wonderful article. We created a “virtual” Walkway for Roseau. Do look at our website. We would love to turn this into reality. I was horrified at the destruction of Jean Rhys’s house and I know other damaged buildings are threatened. I love Dominica and want to return. I wish I could help. But I live in London. Do contact me Hugo Vickers
I love Dominica with all of my heart, so be open minded as i spew out a hard truth: scrap Roseau as capital of Dominica and build a better more modern Capital elsewhere. Roseau cannot be developed into a modern city easily. It took almost 20 years for us to refurbish a post office, 50+ years and counting and still discussing an airport. think of modernizing Roseau, when the aristocrats who hold they key pieces of land in Dominica sit in England or the Us or Canada and refuse to sell. It’ll take a proper 500 years to get Roseau to a modern style city (although Roseau itself is not a city). Best approach? build it somewhere in-land. take about 1000 acres of land if you may, build 4 way traffic lanes (2 one way, 2 the other), build schools, intercity railway systems, high rise buildings, hospitals, anything you possibly want. just move away from present day Roseau.
Interesting….but where and at what cost? We could raise Portsmouth and build a new city there. The area is aesthetically beautiful and the western highway is not too bad. Yet it would still be distant from most areas of the country. Pont Casse is almost ideal but it would consume huge agricultural lands and perhaps mess with the water supply.
Finally, if we can’t afford to fix Roseau how do we afford to build a great city from the ground up….Perhaps become a Chinese colony..:-)
Very good points were made and presented with clarity.
I am truly with the local thinkers on this. Love the basic layout of our city, as you have referenced. We just need a plan for housing construction, traffic flow, parking and for services and entertainment. We must park and walk from the north and south end (before the ‘bridges’ to town).Must fix the drainage and sidewalks for uniformity. Build a water and river front of entertainment. And more.
The redevelopment of Roseau will also have a direct impact on the lives of young entrepreneurs who need affordable space to start their businesses. Surveying and utilizing space directly outside the city center itself must be part of that plan.
Oh yeah my man you said it right. Roseau stinks and it is filthy. In this day and age we should not have a capital city in such poor condition especially with the billions we have hidden both in foreign accounts and in Domnigarchs pockets. But, time is on my side side because some MUST go to jail before the good lord calls me home.
Apparently not a lot has changed since Anthony Trollope’s visit in 1859 on behalf of the U.K. post office, when he described Roseau as the most depressing place in the Caribbean, so desolate that nothing worse could be found even in Jamaica. Mr. Skerrit, you have had the best part of twenty years to bring us to the next level. Oh yes, I do remember that election slogan! Roseau, I feel embarrassed to call it our capital, appears to be as decrepit today as it was over 150 years ago, if not more so but praise, we do have a consulate in Dahkla on the Atlantic coast of the Western Sahara. Things must be desperate for our aspirations to arrive at this level. I weep in sorrow.ll
Yours truly is spending all the peoples money on his mansion in Florida. When things go south and the country collapses he will flee the island with all the money in the treasury like all despots do. Like he said none of your business what he does with your money and make sure you pay tax on time. He was the only person on Dominica during hurricane Maria with any communication like internet, think about that for a minute. Was he really on Dominica he could have been at his mansion in Florida making believe he was on the island.
if we want to change Roseau and make it look and feel like other cities there are going to be a lot of distruction of things and places that is Dominica, when Roseau was designed it was for the horse and cart and walking people now we have the motor car and like ever developed country the motor car is demanding change demanding it’s own space and planers comply, Dominica does not have free and easy space to give to the motor car, so control the motor car and put the brakes on.
Agree.. I think there is an opportunity here to kill two birds with the ‘motor car’ stone.
Build parking garages (over and to the north of the Roseau River) and charge for them. Limit access to the inner of the city. Charge for street parking spaces in the inner city. Use the proceeds to fix the roads, drains, side walks, parks and public structures. Mandate the repair or sale of privately held decrepit buildings. Lead an international campaign for donations to The Roseau Rehabilitation Project.
I do agree with every word you say, Roger. Unfortunately, there aren’t many in Dominica that see a development plan as a priority or a proper sewage system for that matter. They don’t chase these kind of ‘things’… just easy money they are after and to hell with everything else. None of them spares a thought to the island or town we actually live in. They already forgot what misery the lack of a proper sewage system brought to human beings in the Middle Ages and thereafter. When it comes again, they will ask God why HE send misery.
All of you are just arrogant bums and good for nothing. Nothing good to say or do. Your thing is by the hook or by the crook Skerrit has to go. It is sad. What are your contributions to make Dominica a better place to live in if you find that life in Dominica is unbearable which it is not? Lokk at all the developments going on the country and that is all you have to offer. All the good the Government has done and continues to do has gone unnoticed by you and others. What a shame, your useless UWP riffraff. Well, fyi, Skerrit will continue to lead this country into the next election. It will not be another Imran Khan saga. We will not be embroiled in your bagalaga.
I applaud the writer of this article. Timely and long overdue. For years this has been my sentiments – the smell, the filth, unsafe sidewalk in Roseau. An eye sore to say the least. Many times i feel like i am playing hopscotch in Roseau in order to avoid the smell and dirtiness. There’s been several promises and developmental plans put forward by Government…but nothing has come off it. I do hope that the suggestions forward won’t fall on death ears. Let’s restore our pride!
Roger, I admire your burning passion and unquestionable patriotism for the proper development and governance of Dominica. I wish those in political power were even half as passionate as you.
Good governance anywhere requires inclusion especially of your best and brightest in overall development of the country. Having said that, I would like to see a man of your special talent and enormous intellect working in an advisory position to givernment, more specially at the Physical Planning department. What about that? Dominica will be, aesthetically, the envy of the Caribbean.
Immediately in the wake of tropical storm Erica I offered my services to the government free of charge but they never responded.
Not too surprise!
Once you have common sense and intelligence, this government wants nothing or very little to do with you. They want spineless, gullible, daft people who they can easily manipulate. A knowledgeable, intelligent, independently-minded man like you is not welcomed in their camp.
It doesn’t to much to build proper sidewalks and drainage in. a city but this government refusing to do so and they have the money.