Bustling with commerce and trade, it is the port of Port of Spain.

Aerial View of a section of the Port of Port of Spain.

The Port of Port of Spain is a central location for many of the country’s commercial and shipping activities. The onset of globalization and some freedom of imports as well as the high demand for vehicles have also made it the area where thousands of foreign- used Japanese vehicles are brought to our shores. According to Hall and Barrett 2012, increasing globalization of the world economy through the formation of global production networks, global markets and significantly global financial systems has lead to the rise of new economic sectors and spatial relations of production. It is safe to say that trading and commerce is linked all over the world. It is so linked that what you find happening is that you have places and spaces becoming more homogeneous in terms of the products as well as the aesthetic value.

The port of the city also serves as a major transportation hub whereby persons are able to board the water taxi to get to San Fernando and Chaguaramas and well as board the fast ferry to get to the sister isle of Tobago. The port also adds a historical depth of city and it was the main area to which the city was built or where infrastructural development took place during colonialism.

One of the water taxis docked at the terminal. The vehicles in the photo are government vehicles parked on the waterfront waiting for distinguished members of parliament.

In this regard it can be said that the Trinidad and Tobago is similar to more developed cities of the world whereby the port reigns supreme especially when it comes to our imports of various commodities. It may however differ in terms of its historical and cultural attributes as ports particularly in the Caribbean was where the African enslaved persons were brought to be sold to the various estates. In contemporary times in Trinidad for instance, the use of the port is becoming more defined to a mixed or multiple use purpose where there are activities such as transportation, global trade and commerce, administrative buildings and entertainment all being located close to or in this area, a land use practice that definitely mimics the developed world.

Additional Links :

Port of Spain Waterfront

Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago

Reference

Reference: Hall, Tim and Heather Barrett. 2012. “City Economies.” In Urban Geography,4th Ed. London and New York: Routledge.