Voices Magazine

VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica | August 2018 8 T he University of Technology, Jamaica through its Faculty of The Built Environment in partnership with the Caribbean Network for Urban and Land Management (CNULM), University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago hosted the 8th Caribbean Urban Forum from June 27 - 29, 2018 at the Papine Campus. The conference which had as its theme, “Forming the Informal,” brought together land use practitioners, policy makers, academics and allied professionals who deliberated on urban issues in the Caribbean region relating to land use planning and urban land management. Among the issues discussed were the development of a regional strategy on informal development; improvements to the implementation of urban solutions; improving climate resilience in informal settlements and economies; bolstering urban resilience in the Caribbean and the regulations and laws which govern infrastructure development in the Caribbean. Guest Speaker the Honourable Audley Shaw, CD, MP, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries said that the issue of informalities, specifically in the context of social infrastructure continues to be a challenge for developing nations of the Caribbean. He noted that Jamaica continues to grapple with informal housing and inappropriate land use caused by the migration of persons to urban areas in search of good economic and social opportunities. Other speakers at the opening ceremony were His Worship the Mayor, Councilor Delroy Williams, Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Dr Tatiana Gallego-Lizon, Head, Housing and Urban Development, IDB, Dr. Sharon Griffiths, Operations Officer (Civil Engineer), Economic Infrastructure Division, CDB, Mr. Roje van den Berg, Head of Urban Planning Laboratory, UN Habitat, Dr. Asad Mohammed, CNULM/UWI and Mrs. Audrey Mullings, USAID Office of Foreign Assistance. The University’s Deputy President, Professor Colin Gyles and Dean of the Faculty of The Built Environment, Dr. Garfield Young also made presentations at the Opening Ceremony. The three-day Forum saw local and international conference delegates from approximately 25 countries including Saudi Arabia, USA, Denmark, Guyana, Antigua and Bermuda, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. UTech, Jamaica Hosts 8 th Caribbean Urban Forum The Honourable Audley Shaw, CD, MP, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the 8th Caribbean Urban Forum held at the Shared Facilities Building, Papine Campus on June 27, 2018. Participants at the 8th Caribbean Forum pose for a group photograph following the closing session on Friday, June 29, 2018.