Business View Caribbean - March 2016 29
downtown Kingston and the new housing communi-
ties. Today, with a population of over 200,000, Port-
more houses the majority of the city of Kingston’s
labor force and is one of the largest housing develop-
ments in the English-speaking Caribbean.
In many ways, the Portmore community reflects the
aspirations and the achievements of the majority of
middle-class Jamaicans. When the first communities
were being created in the 1960s, the spirit of inde-
pendence defined many of the plans of the time, and
the ethos behind the township was that of a planned,
suburban community with the capacity for individual-
ism and community growth. This spirit was reflected
in the naming of some of the older housing schemes;
names such as Independence City and Garveymeade
(after the ardent advocate of Black sovereignty and
self-determination, Marcus Garvey) hint at the ideas
behind the planning.
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
The City of Portmore
WHAT:
A city of approximately 200,000
WHERE:
A suburb of Kingston, Jamaica
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