IT is an honour to once again welcome you to The Honourable Maurice Facey Lecture Series, an annual gathering where we discuss the transformative possibilities of urban development. At Pan Jamaica Group we remain committed to leading efforts to reimagine our urban centres and enhance the quality of life for both our citizens and our visitors.

Urban development, when thoughtfully planned and executed, has the power to revitalise our cities and reshape the way we live. Well-designed cities can uplift communities by fostering environments rich with opportunities, promoting inclusivity, and facilitating access to services. This, in turn, stimulates economic growth, attracts investment, and generates jobs.

Part of our ongoing mission at Pan Jamaica is to help drive the restoration and regeneration of Kingston, while supporting the nation’s broader, long-term objectives. We believe that thriving urban centres can act as engines for national growth, and we envision Kingston as a vibrant metropolis, central to Jamaica’s journey toward unity and prosperity.

The Maurice Facey Lecture Series plays an important role in fostering the vision set by our founders over 60 years ago. It serves as a tribute to their legacy and continues to be a platform for bold ideas and solutions for our future.

My father, the Honourable Maurice Facey, recognised the power of urban development as a tool for transformation. As the founder of the Pan Jamaica Group he, along with his brother Lloyd, left a lasting mark on the island through pioneering commercial and residential development projects. Beyond real estate, Maurice’s commitment to nation-building led him to establish key planning organisations such as Kingston Restoration Company and Tourism Action Plan Limited, underscoring his dedication to his country’s development.

My grandfather, Cecil Boswell Facey, a prominent businessman and philanthropist, in his day inspired the creation of CB Facey Foundation. As we celebrate the foundation’s 40th anniversary this year we acknowledge its ongoing contributions to education, the arts, and the environment.

Tonight’s lecture is a continuation of this legacy, as we focus on a critical element of the urban environment. We will explore the challenge of making “A City for People” as our guest speaker helps us to reimagine the possibilities for Jamaica’s transportation system.

Good mobility is fundamental to a thriving economy, yet in Jamaica we have emphasised a system that is overly reliant on the private motor car as the favoured mode of transport, despite the fact that only 26 per cent of Jamaicans own private vehicles.

Our road network continues to be designed to give priority to cars, often to the detriment of public safety and equitable access. The investment in, and this single-minded focus on the movement of cars in our transportation infrastructure has contributed to the current state of chaos and congestion on our roads, exacerbated by indiscipline and disorder, leading to high rates of accidents and fatalities while overlooking the needs of many citizens who use other forms of transportation and placing an unsustainable financial burden on Jamaicans where 20 per cent of our import spending goes toward cars, fuel, and parts, surpassing our expenditures on food.

This raises the question: Is Kingston a city for cars, or a city for people?

To address these challenges we must develop a transportation system that prioritises inclusivity, equity, and sustainability. We need a fully integrated system that serves all our citizens — one that is clean, safe, reliable and timely. We need an effective school bus system, one that gets our children to school and home again safely and securely. We need effective, dedicated bus lanes to allow for timely, efficient operation of our buses. We need well-located and carefully planned transport centres that are hubs for commerce and interchange.

We require bold, coordinated leadership that unites all stakeholders — government, business, and civil society — in a shared vision of a connected and inclusive city. We must look to successful models from other cities and learn from global leaders who have successfully reshaped their urban environments.

In that spirit, it is a privilege to introduce this evening’s distinguished guest speaker, Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia. Peñalosa is an internationally respected urban visionary who transformed Bogotá’s chaotic transportation system. His achievements, including the development of TransMilenio — one of the world’s most efficient bus rapid transit systems — have made Bogotá a global model for inclusive, sustainable urban development.

During his term as mayor, Peñalosa created an extensive bicycle network, greenways, hundreds of parks, formidable sports and cultural centres and large libraries, 67 schools, and high-quality housing projects for more than 500,000 residents.

In his book Equality and the City, which was recently published by The University of Pennsylvania Press, Peñalosa proposes that a good city constructs social integration and legitimacy. Land and housing, mobility, public space, and waterfronts are some of the themes.

Peñalosa analyses from the equity perspective. It is a book about how to achieve a good city where no one feels inferior or excluded.

Peñalosa has been included in Planetizen´s list of The Most Influential Urbanists, Past and Present. He was also one of ¨15 Thought Leaders in Sustainable City Development¨ selected by the Identity Review in July 2023.

Peñalosa’s work serves as an inspiration for us, demonstrating how cities can be reimagined to prioritise people. He shows us that with the right vision, leadership and strategies we can achieve similar transformative results.

The above was presented as introductory remarks by Stephen Facey, CD, chairman, Pan Jamaica Group, at the recently held staging of The Honourable Maurice Facey Lecture Series, 2024 staging.