I have recently returned from Geneva, Switzerland, and was reminded once more of the way in which the ordering of a society leads to the cultivation of a culture of civility. I took note of a few things during the repeat visit as a kind of series of snapshots of the life of the people.

I stood in the centre of the city on a busy Sunday afternoon and watched the pedestrian and vehicular traffic go by. I could not help noticing the order with which people proceeded in the use of public transportation, the movement of the traffic, as courteous drivers allowed each other the right of way, and the absence of horns by impatient and indiscipline users of the road.

I spent that afternoon in the home of a Jamaican family and as we travelled along, I could not help drawing attention to the ordered way in which housing and industrial complexes were integrated into the farming lands and landscape. Indeed, the following morning, while attending meetings at the World Council of Churches Headquarters, and in proximity to the International Labour Organization Headquarters, and the International University, I observed horses on a property across the road.

My Jamaican host helped me to put into perspective the things which I was observing and to set some thoughts going in my head. It was observed that the development of the land was highly regulated and that the integration of farms with urban development and structures was intended to create green spaces for the benefit of the people and for setting a tone of peace and civility as people experienced a sense of connection to the world of nature around them. It was pointed out also that it was not easy for private individuals or developers to just take any bit of land and proceed to develop it to their suit. Landowners were not at liberty to just decide to subdivide their farmlands for residential or commercial development as there was state zoning of land-use. Neither could they use their connection in high places to circumvent the law.

I could not help reflecting on certain realities in my homeland. I call to mind the few green spaces that exist within the city of Kingston, Emancipation Park, Devon House, and Hope Gardens, and bring to mind the way in which the residents of Kingston, and Jamaicans as a whole, gravitate to these places, suggesting to me that, as a people, we are not insensitive or averse to the value of such open spaces for renewal of the human spirit and the cultivation of a culture of civility.

This has led me to a deeper reflection on our reality in Jamaica and the way in which we short-change, insult, or underestimate the perceptiveness of our people. Several weeks ago, while engaging in a conversation on this topic, and expressing my concern about the lack of serious town planning for our capital city and for the island as a whole, I was assured by someone who has access to such information, that there are elements of a plan for major towns and some rural communities. So I pressed on with my questions, where are they? Who knows about them? And why are they not being implemented? The answer came with some embarrassment on the part of the speaker: “You know how it is with political leadership in Jamaica, the parties and those seeking office only deal with the immediate and the things that will win elections.”

One would have thought that if such plans exist, citizens of the various communities would know what is the development plan for their communities, and not wait for events like by-elections and general elections to hear candidates who are lacking in vision — and perhaps have never ever been in charge of any major development — proclaim from platforms, to a gullible audience, all the wonderful development plans which are in store for them, when he or she has never laid eyes on such a thing or even knows what is possible.

In the meanwhile, we have an haphazard policy of each landowner determining the purpose for which his land is to be used in the absence of a functional town planning strategy — and depending on the extent to which there is access to the powers that be. In the meanwhile also, we can look at the entry to the city of Kingston from almost any direction and see if there is anything like green spaces.

In the development of large housing schemes, there is often talk about the reservation of space for a park, but what does that mean? There seems to be a notion that green space means a playing field and, even then, there is usually no clear identification of whose responsibility it is to see to the development of such a project.

I often get the impression that we seem to think in Jamaica that residential and commercial development means that we must get rid of agricultural farms and activities and push them further into the remote rural parts. I watch with interest the way in which conversation goes on about the Caymanas Lands, as if it is some kind of eyesore or property too valuable to be in agriculture. I wonder what it does for the human spirit to enter Kingston from that roadway and see the cane fields and the open spaces. I know I get a sense of calm when I travel by the toll road and just view the green spaces of agricultural lands. Perhaps many of those who have bought homes on this emerging part of St Catherine have done so, not just because of affordability, but the connection to nature and the aesthetic spirit which it promotes.

In the wake of the recent controversy surrounding the National Housing Trust, I suggest that it is a good time to revisit the matter of how housing will be provided for those many who, at the moment, while contributing to the fund, are unable to access benefits by way of mortgages. It would appear that the Trust, under visionary political leadership and will, is going to have to address the provision of houses for this category of persons across the nation. And, it cannot be that we think of the creation of further high-density garrisons as we have done in the past, and which not only bred violence and political loyalty, but were not conducive to the creation of the kind of community and culture which make for the benefit of the residents.

In terms of what I observed in recent days, and in reflecting on our reality, it is evident that every beneficiary will never be able to own a piece of land. Our primary commitment must be to provide decent housing and this will have to be multi-floor complexes, of one, two, and three-bedroom units. The Trust, working along with the appropriate directive and accountability to the Government, should seek to use our town planners and technical building personnel to come up with housing projects which can be constructed with due consideration to the provision of green space and other community facilities, which make for wholesome people and wholesome communities.

These units may be constructed on a rent-to-purchase basis, which could see the Housing Trust using its creativity to come up with a model which can be a win-win situation for the Trust and beneficiaries. It has been stated that our developers do not want to invest in such projects as the return on their investment is not to their desired levels. It seems logical that if our developers will not invest in such a partnership for the benefit of this group of citizens, the Government and the Trust should look to whatever source is willing to undertake it, whether Cuba, China, or any other country.

In the long run, though, the country cannot continue on a course on which these contributors have no hope of owning a home. The alternative of squatting and occupancy of inner-city derelict buildings cannot be a way to build a civil society. Neither will simply constructing large-scale housing as stand-alone entities do it. We are already a very indisciplined society, with large-scale marginalisation, hopelessness and conflict within the life of communities and individuals. The passage of laws and their enforcement, even in draconian fashion, will not address the situation.

While it would be naïve to suggest that there is some magic or undisputed causative relationship between the provision of green spaces and human civility, nevertheless we need to create the kind of environment that fosters a sense of investment and ownership, and one which finds expression in the external environment which we cultivate for our people.

— Howard Gregory is the Lord Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.