KINSGTON, Jamaica – The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is advocating for more widespread use of transformative green infrastructure solutions like urban forests, green walls, green roofs, detention ponds, and permeable pavements to tackle Kingston’s rising temperatures and urban challenges.
This strategy integrates natural systems like ponds into urban spaces.

Speaking at the recent University of Technology Climate Change Conference, PIOJ Urban and Regional Planner Monique Lewis noted that despite Jamaica’s declining overall population, urban areas are expanding. This in conjunction with climate change has brought challenges like heat waves, prolonged droughts and severe flooding, resulting in a 1.3 per cent GDP loss in 2023.

Lewis highlighted issues such as the Kingston Metropolitan Area’s (KMA’s) traffic congestion, the “urban heat island effect”, which, because of limited tree cover, makes it significantly warmer than rural areas, and air quality which is also closely tied to traffic patterns.

“This indicates there is a need for strategies to address both environmental and transportation challenges,” she said
Strategic climate-resilient urban planning with adequate maintenance budgets is crucial, according to the planner.

She pointed to South Korea’s Cheonggyecheon project, which transformed a highway into a man-made stream. The project reduced air pollution by 35 per cent and lowered temperatures by 5°C. For Kingston, she proposed detention ponds and expanded urban forests to mitigate flooding and heat.

She also pointed to the work of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), which has recommended creating an urban forest in downtown Kingston. This would connect existing parks to increase shade, reduce temperatures, and strengthen environmental resilience.

“Street trees from the Waterfront to the St William Grant Park can be extended as far north as National Heroes Circle, creating a green corridor and revitalising Kingston’s public spaces,” Lewis said.

Addressing runoff management, Lewis stressed the impact of current building trends. With the rise of new developments, increasing car parks and other impermeable surfaces worsen runoff issues.

Detention ponds, also known as “dry ponds”, offer a solution. These structures hold water during storms while serving dual purposes during dry weather.

“Though costly, they have great benefits in creating a ‘sponge city’—an urban area designed to absorb rainwater like a sponge,” Lewis said, adding that detention ponds are recommended for the King’s House area to reduce runoff into Half Way Tree.