Enmienda al Plan de Desarrollo Físico de Barbados: Hacia una nación verde, próspera y resiliente
( ! ) Este contenido está disponible sólo en su idioma original.
Formulating Institution
Barbados Ministry of Health and the Environment
Elaboration process
This process, as well as the work undertaken for subsequent draft updates of the PDP, involved a detailed assessment of the effectiveness of the existing policies, an assessment of recent development and settlement patterns, and consideration of critical new factors, initiatives and commitments, including the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, the Green Economy Scoping Study (2012), the Habitat III New Urban Agenda (2016), the COP 21 Paris Agreement (2015), the COP 26 Glasgow Pact (2021), the UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription for Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison (2011), and the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (2015). This analysis was detailed in the following background reports:
• Background Review Sectoral Reports (24)
• White Paper: Key Considerations for the PDP Amendment
• Recommended Priority Policies Memorandum
• Development Studies, including Major Development Applications, Vacant Lands, Plot Coverage and assessment of the IRDP policies
It also mentiones that over 500 persons who attended consultation events throughout the Plan preparation.
Definition of City
a) The Community Core: The commercial, residential and cultural heart and central places of Barbados, providing the densest concentration of people, buildings, and activities. Strengthening the cores strengthens the entire region, as the cores provide services far beyond their borders.
b) The Urban Corridor, refined to reflect 2016 settlement patterns, will be the focus for new development and growth, recognizing that this is where the greatest existing and planned concentration of population and jobs, infrastructure and development exists.
c) Stable Suburban Areas will be the focus for infill or completion of existing neighbourhoods and approved development with an emphasis on introducing more locally based amenity and mobility options.
Main challenge
- The development and growth patterns over the last two decades are not sustainable over the long term: decades, there has been a significant increase in the amount of land consumed for development [...] This demonstrated pattern of sprawl has implications on scarce and key assets (water, food production, land) and transportation patterns but also on the public cost of building, operating and maintaining infrastructure over the long term.
- Approved development has significantly impacted agricultural and water resources and health of natural ecosystems: a significant amount of development has also occurred on agricultural land, in many instances on some of Barbados’ most fertile soils in the St George Valley. [Aditionally] the degradation to around 10% of historic levels in coral cover due to the influence of multiple sources of land-based pollution.
- Significant loss of agricultural land threatens the viability of the agricultural sector and increases food insecurity.
- Rising levels of chronic non-communicable diseases are linked to physical development patterns and lack of access to healthy foods.
- New growth at the fringe has happened at the expense of historic community cores and existing settlements: new growth in the periphery is to some degree happening at the cost of reinvestment in community cores and older neighbourhoods.
- There is a growing infrastructure deficit.
- The climate crisis requires new thinking in planning and design of future development.
Urban instrument
The Growth Management Framework
Supports sustainable development by identifying five distinct areas across the island based on their characteristics and primary roles in managing sustainable and resilient growth. (Pag. 21).
Land Use and Built Form Policies
Provides guidance on permitted uses, design strategies, and general and specific policies that apply within the 13 land use designations on the island. (Pag. 115).
Urban dimension
Five distinct areas are characterized according to their characteristics and primary roles in managing sustainable and resilient growth:
1) Community Cores
2) The Urban Corridor
3) Stable Suburban Areas
4) Rural Working Landscape
5) Barbados National Park
Main objective of the urban dimension
"The Government will promote a sustainable development pattern that minimises the footprint of urban development, increases resiliency, improves mobility and accessibility and optimises existing and planned infrastructure." (Pag. 21).
Urban strategic objectives
Community cores are recognisable, established centres throughout the existing urban fabric. They are the focus of shops, services and transport for an area. [...] The intention of recognising distinct community cores throughout the island is to ensure that these places continue to function as a focus for shops, services, public spaces, amenities, and community gathering.
1. The distinct role and identity of each Community Core within the wider community will be strengthened by directing intensification and mixed-use development to these places.
2. Community cores are intended to provide a higher level of service for their surrounding areas. As such, the Government will continue to provide a range of services in community cores.
3. Community cores are intended to function as employment centres for the surrounding area, and the Government will support the creation of employment opportunities in community cores.
4. A range of housing types, including seniors and affordable housing, are appropriate for Community Cores to build on existing community assets and services
5. Community Cores may be appropriate locations for multi-family, multi-storey buildings. Further guidance can be found in the Design Strategies provided in Section 3.4.4 for Mixed Use Areas and within each of the Community Plans.
6. Community cores will be the focus of the mobility network, providing the greatest transportation choice on the island. Mobility Nodes have been identified within many community cores, as described in Section 2.4 and the Community Plans.
7. Community cores will be designed to be the most walkable and accessible locations on the island.
8. Buildings and the public realm of community cores will be designed to the highest standard. To this end, a Design Review process may be considered in community cores.
9. The open space system in community cores will link together high quality parks, open spaces and the waterfront, where applicable.
10. Cultural heritage assets within community cores will be identified and enhanced as key to community character and incorporated into place making strategies.
11. Vacant and abandoned buildings will be considered prime locations for reinvestment and revitalisation, in particular cultural heritage resources within community cores that may be in disrepair.
12. Design strategies will ensure adaptability of community cores to the impacts of the climate crisis, in particular sea level rise and storm surge.
Operating instruments
Community Plans
The Community Plans provide additional policy direction for the community core and is designed to be read in conjunction with the national Physical Development Plan policies. It provides a framework for continued investment and development in the different identified community cores.
Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience
No climate change actions with a focus on mitigation were found in the policy, but rather on adaptation and risk management.
Adaptation
Addressing the urgency of climate change: As a SIDS, Barbados is at significant risk of experiencing the negative effects associated with climate change. To respond to this reality, the PDP must introduce new policy directions that focus on resiliency and adaptation strategies.
- Adaptation in the transport system: The Government will recognise the link between transportation and the climate crisis, in particular the significant amount of greenhouse gases contributed by private automobile usage. a) Transportation alternatives to the automobile, b) the use of electric vehicles.
- Adaptation in agriculture: Renewable energy infrastructure will be permitted on Food and Agricultural lands under certain conditions.
- The NHS [Natural Heritage System] will be valued as a means of mitigating the effects of the climate crisis and the related risks of natural disasters. It contributes to climate crisis adaptation through the conservation of a range of ecosystem services (provisioning, protection, regulation, listed below) that will in turn confer reduced vulnerability to, and enhance resiliency of, human populations, infrastructure, and sectoral undertakings in the face of evolving natural hazard and climate crisis threats.
- Disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) share the common foci of reducing national and community vulnerability and contributing to resilient and sustainable development in the face of climate variability and climate change. [...] Effective disaster risk reduction requires an integrated approach to the management of land, coastline and the natural, built and social environments to strengthen climate resilience.
- The Government will utilise Information Management as a key tool to minimize natural hazard and climate change risk.
Resilience
- Social and community facilities [...] will be planned to address climate crisis resiliency and disaster risk reduction. [And] New social and community facilities should be planned to function as emergency shelters for surrounding communities.
- The Government will identify and plan for disaster risk reduction and resiliency measures related to Barbados’s transportation network. a) A network of alternate routes set inland will be planned in order to ensure resiliency if roads in risk-prone areas, particularly near coastal zones, become inaccessible or fall into disrepair, requiring the redirection of traffic. b) Research, data, and projections regarding impacts of the climate crisis and natural hazard phenomena will be integrated into decisions regarding Barbados’ transportation network to develop a more robust perspective. c) Iterative risk management approaches that are supported by appropriate modelling and adaptation tools will be developed to respond to projected climate and hazard impacts. Performance measures will be used to inform the prioritisation and decision making on appropriate adaptation approaches and interventions.
- The Government will consider environmental sustainability and climate crisis resiliency in the food and agricultural sector. The Government will promote: [...] The production of more resilient crops and varieties as a climate adaptation measure
- New social and community facilities will be required to incorporate site plan and design measures for climate crisis resiliency.
- The implications of anticipated sea level rise will create a long term flood risk and hazard. The extent of the projected sea level rise will be mapped through the CZMU and adaptation and resiliency strategies prepared to address the flood risk.
Main goal
The main purposes of the Physical Development Plan are to:
- Foster the economic, environmental, physical and social well-being of the residents of Barbados;
- Address the critical impacts of climate change on Barbados as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS);
- Establish a vision to guide the future form of development with respect to land use, settlement patterns, food production, infrastructure, mobility and environmental management;
- Guide the future form of development on the island and inform the public, business and government sectors as to the nature, scope and location of both development and protection areas for core assets; and
- Provide a clear and accessible framework for private and public investment in communities, business sectors and infrastructure across the island.
(Pag. 3)
Cross-cutting principles
The Physical Development Plan seeks to achieve a vision for Barbados over the next 10 years as:
- A nation of healthy, safe, distinct and age- and gender-responsive communities sharing a common economic base and community aspiration.
- A nation in which resilient, sustainable economic and physical growth are balanced with conservation and restoration of irreplaceable resources, rural working landscapes, cultural heritage and natural heritage.
- A nation which fosters a green and blue economy focused on strategies to enhance resource efficiency and economic growth, in particular in the sectors of agriculture, fisheries, housing, transportation, renewable energy and tourism.
- A nation characterized by increasing social equity enabling meaningful participation in social and economic activities for all.
- A nation which is resilient and prepared for the impacts of the climate crisis.
(Pag. 6).
Strategic objectives
The following principles underlie the policies of this Plan:
- The efficient use of land, resources and finances of the nation.
- The adoption of adaptive planning approaches in all aspects of national and sectoral planning for the consideration of climate variability and climate crisis impacts.
- The promotion of social equity, health and safety for all residents.
- The conservation, protection and restoration of irreplaceable core assets and man-made resources.
- The development of safe, vibrant places for people to live, work and play.
- The management of growth so that it occurs in a safe, logical and orderly fashion ensuring protection of core assets, reduction of environmental risks and ecological scarcities, promotion of sustainable development and efficiency in delivery of infrastructure.
Action Strategies
Promoting Sustainable Development
- Managing Population Growth
- Communities and housing
- Social and community facilities
Protecting Core Assets
- Food and Agriculture
- Natural Heritage System
- Water
- Natural Park
- Cultural Heritage
- Community Core
The Green and Blue Economy
- Support the island’s transition to a green and blue economy.
- Sustainable tourism
Advancing mobility and accessibility
- Multimodal Network
- Mobility Nodes
- Active transportation
- Public Transport
- International Gateways
- Parking Management
- Water transport
Planning for National Infrastructure
- Renewable energy and Energy Conservation
- Air transportation
- Port of Bridgetown
- Water and Wastewater
- Solid Waste Management
- Road network
- Active Transportation and Walkability
- Information Technology, Communications and Transmission Facilities
Gender
Although there is no specific gender goal, the Physical Development Plan seeks to achieve a vision for Barbados over the next 10 years, stating a commitment: "A nation of healthy, safe, distinct and age- and gender-responsive communities sharing a common economic base and community aspiration."
Point 2.4 on Advancing Mobility and Accessibility also states that "the Governments will promote access for all to safe, age and gender-responsive, affordable, accessible, and sustainable urban mobility and land and sea transport systems, in accordance with the objectives of the New Urban Agenda ratified during Habitat III."
Technical Instruments
Impact Assessments are a key tool to assess proposed development and infrastructure projects. Impact Assessments are guided by the provisions of the Planning and Development Act (2019), as amended, as well as Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations. There are seven types of impact assessment in the PDP.
- Environmental Impact Assesments (EIA)
- Marine Impact Asessments (MnIA)
- Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA)
- Agricultural Impact Assessments (AIA)
- Transportation Impact Assessments (TIA)
- Natural Hazard Impact Assessments (NHIA)
- Market Impact Assessments (MtIA) (Pag. 173)
Representative sample of Cities
Bridgetown
Speightstown
Holetown
Oistins
Six cross roads
Warrens
Wildey
Belleplaine
Bathsheba
St. David’s to six cross roads
National Indicators
Is therefore proposed that a Sustainable Development Monitoring Report including implementation indicators be prepared by the PDD every 3 years and should include the following factors:
- Changes in key demographic and economic considerations;
- Trends in development activity, by building type, centre and parish;
- Impacts of the climate crisis and risk adaptation;
- The outcomes of the Agricultural Census, which includes an inventory of all forms of agricultural production;
- Assessment of conformity of new development with the policies of the PDP and implications for the National settlement framework and island settlement structure;
- Impacts on core assets including Natural Heritage system, cultural heritage, food and agriculture, and core communities.
