Right to the City in Grenada

Granada does not contemplate the Right to the City in its Constitution.

Physical Planning and Development Control Act (No. 25/2002)

The Physical Planning and Development Control Act provides rules the physical development of public and private land in Grenada so as to, among other things: ensure sustainable land use; maintain and improve the quality of the physical environment; provide for the orderly subdivision of land; and protect and conserve the natural and cultural heritage of Grenada.

As for the administration of this Act, the Development Control Authority established by the Land Development Control Act, is continued as the Planning and Development Authority. The Minister shall be responsible for consistence and continuity of administration of this Act in accordance with stated objects.

The Head of the Physical Planning Unit, being also the chief executive of the forest officers in charge of managing State forests, shall develop a physical plan for Grenada in accordance with this Act and the Plan shall, after public review, be approved by the Parliament.

National Sustainable Development Plan 2020-2035

This National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP) is the anchor for Grenada’s development agenda and priorities for the period 2020-2035. It recognises the imperative of balanced spatial development to address issues such as saturation and congestion in urban areas (especially the south of the island), rural underdevelopment, unplanned settlements, infrastructure developments in ecologically-sensitive areas, and poor land use.

Its urban strategic objectives include:

1. Increase investment to improve drainage systems targeted at entire road network.
2. Increase investments in sea defences/ barriers on roads along the coast.
3. Implement projects for the protection of the Carenage, MBIA, the Marquis to Grenville Corridor, and Grand Anse Beach from sea level rise (Climate- Smart Cities).
4. Mandate that all drivers take a road safety course prior to the issuing of new drivers’ licenses, as well as the renewal of existing drivers’ licenses. Licenses should not be issued/renewed until drivers complete the course.
5. Introduce a policy that results in the suspension of drivers’ licenses if a driver commits more than two offenses in one year.
6. Invest in the widening of trunk and arterial roads and bridges throughout the country to accommodate increased traffic.   
7. Enforce building codes to prevent building close to the road and the traffic regulations to prevent parking on the roadside.
8. Develop a comprehensive transportation policy and action plan to address: (a) legislation and enforcement; (b) regulation; (c) expanded services (structured night transport and ultimately 24/7 service); (d) road safety; (e) road order (structured/designated areas for bus stops across the island); (f) vehicle importation (incentives for environmentally-friendly vehicles); (g) licensing; (h) fare setting for buses and taxies; (i) parking facilities; (j) shuttling; and (k) “flexi” work/commercial time.
9. Construct a new climate-resilient airport in Carriacou.
10. Increase investments in rain water harvesting
11. Promote increased storage, distribution, and use of untreated water for non-consumption activities.
12. Scale up investments in desalination plants powered by renewable energy.
13. Protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.
14. Update the National Physical Development Plan of Grenada to reflect the country’s sustainable development priorities, which necessitate: (a) spatial balance of all sectors and industries; (b) socioeconomic development in all parishes; (c) land use that supports balanced development and proper zoning; and (d) multi-sectoral and spatial linkages.
15. Introduce new and progressive regulations to support balanced spatial development.
16. Undertake fundamental reforms of the Physical Planning Unit to improve efficiency. Reforms must be geared at strengthening governance and institutional arrangements, building human and technical capacities building, mainstreaming technology in operations, and improving monitoring, evaluation, enforcement, and accountability.

No explicit recognition of the Right to the City by binding instruments ratified by the country was found.

However, several advances have been made that contribute to understanding the right to the city and its importance as a structural element for promoting urban development policies aimed at building just, democratic and sustainable cities. The Third World Social Forum (2003) culminated in the formulation and negotiation of a "World Charter for the Right to the City" (2005), an instrument aimed at contributing to urban struggles and to the process of recognition, in the international human rights system, of the right to the city.

With the objective of promoting and defending the fulfillment of the Right to the City at all levels, the Global Platform for the Right to the City (GPR2C) was launched in 2014, a network of more than 250 local, national, regional and international organizations committed to political action and social change for the implementation of the right.

The recognition of the Right to the City within the UN Habitat III negotiation process, culminating in the adoption of the New Urban Agenda (2016) is a very significant achievement. The NUA is the most important global guide to show clearly, how well-planned and managed urbanization can be a transformative force for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).