Roseau City Dominica. What does the future look like?

Straight forward, witty and timeless. #TellItLikeItIs, is a blog for our generation 

The city of a country is its heartbeat. The sight,  the sounds, even the hustle and bustle creates an addictive buzz that draws everyone in. The city  houses several essential services which keeps the economy running and serves as a tourist attraction point.  

For such an important central hub of activity & commerce, attractability is a cornerstone quality. 

In Dominica and other Caribbean islands who fell under colonial rule in earlier centuries, the capital was established hundreds of years ago and its layout – streets etc. reflects this. It remains in some sense a historical monument of those pre colonial powers. 

But in modern day 2022, do these cities support the present, and future, of these islands?  

The populations of Caribbean countries have grown and continue to grow over the past years, even amidst the challenges of mass migration and ‘brain drain’, leading to an expansion of the capital in some countries. 

Dominica is not exempt from this sort of population increase, but not much seems to have changed with its capital over decades. Due to the current infrastructure of Dominica’s capital city ‘Roseau’ (named by the French after the river reeds that grew along the banks), expanding outward has been categorized – difficult. 

But is a huge reconstruction project the only option to breathe new life into this city?

We asked, “What do you think are short term resolutions to enhancing Roseau City in the present and near future? ” 

According to the views of surveyed members of Generation Y Dominica, a few impactful changes and economic boosts could do the trick.  

Here were the top 5 answers  

1. Better roads and sidewalks. A primary concern among drivers and pedestrians alike is the prevailing state of the roads and sidewalks. Apart from the known issues with drainage, broken sidewalks and damaged roads pose difficulties – from pedestrian safety to daily wear and tear on vehicles.  A modern Roseau should consist of well paved roads built for the long term and evenly constructed sidewalks. These pieces of infrastructure should also be constructed to accommodate proper drainage, so that in the event of heavy rainfall the streets won’t be flooded. 

2. Improved parking. There is no doubt about it, that there has been a spike in the number of vehicle owners living in the city and around the island. This is evident in the limited places and parking options. The city is congested, and finding an appropriate parking place in a timely manner is nothingless than a 45 minute task during peak hours. The development of commercial  parking lots spaces was a top recommendation for the easy flow of vehicular and foot traffic and will also be a source of economic revenue. 

3. Green spaces. Green spaces in and around cities, collectively known as urban forests, can mitigate regional and local flooding from storms, reduce water scarcity, improve air and water quality, regulate temperature, and aid soil nutrient cycling, all while sequestering carbon – (from eos.org), the benefits are undeniable. Although Dominica is the Nature Island of the Caribbean, there is no reason for the city of Roseau to  be short of green spaces, says generation Y. The Botanical Gardens and Peebles Park exist, but they are on the boundary of the city. Green spaces in Roseau could be created by transforming existing empty lots, or transforming the spaces of abandoned buildings or decrepit houses. Additional green spaces are beneficial – people enjoy the comfort & environmental benefits of the green space and the city gets rid of an eyesore in the form of dilapidated buildings. 

4. Rehabilitation/ wellness centers. This one might be a more costly investment at first but  compared with the abundant benefits, it’s a worthy one. Vagrancy has been a major and continuous issue. Streets overladen with vagrants and drug addicted persons walking aimlessly are uninspiring,  unsafe and do not reflect the seriousness of the welfare of a country’s citizens. Vagrancy also threatens the tourism industry as it severely takes away from the aesthetics of the location and presents a lack of security to tourists. With the introduction of public wellness centers, citizens who have fallen on difficulties, addictions etc. are given a chance to rehabilitate, transform their lives and rejoin the rest of society. The streets are kept relatively free of homelessness, drug abuse and the city remains cleaner / relieved of human waste and squatting. The positive and long term impacts of this far outweighs the initial investment and maintenance costs.

5. Enhanced shopping & entertainment. “There’s nothing much to do, ” is the reality outlined by this present generation and will no doubt be the tune of the upcoming one. While the modern day face of Roseau is not the exact same as it was in the 1950’s, there is still much room for improvement in the areas of shopping and entertainment. There are hardly any malls or shopping centers available where quality and affordable products can be sourced, and with internal facilities which can serve as ‘hang out’ spots for adults and kids. As it relates to entertainment, the repetitive display of public bars and small snackets becomes quite a bore to a modern generation browsing the city.

Introducing and investing in new shopping centers, malls, kids parks and entertainment centers for the city will not only create ways to positively engage them but will result in an economic boost, job creation and an increased flow of revenue within the economy.

Can you think of more ways to recreate modern day ‘Roseau city?’ leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you.

Written by: Andrea Louis & Dilma Bastien

For: Generation Y Dominica