PIOJ Growth-Inducement Strategy - Planning Institute of Jamaica

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Proposed West Kingston Commercial Lifestyles Centre
A Concept Note
This Concept Note was motivated by a request from some business leaders in the PSOJ to
assist with developing a commercial product that could serve as a consilient point and
catalyst for the redevelopment of Downtown Kingston.
1. 0 Introduction
The West Kingston Commercial Lifestyles Centre (Kingston Lifestyles) is conceptualized
as a strategically located, ring-fenced and secure, 9.7 acres commercially valuable and
Community-valued business project in Downtown Kingston. The proposed location is
adjacent to the Coronation Market (Curry) and the bustling nearby commercial district on
Princess Street. Its location at the heart of the 50 commercially underserved residential
communities of 254,588 residents within a 5KM radius gives it the promise of becoming
the fulcrum of the modern and cosmopolitan renewal and re-development of the entire
Downtown Kingston.
Kingston Lifestyles market brand would be based on a strategic clustering of the
economic, cultural, historical, social and geographical assets, and business opportunities,
that competitively advantage Downtown Kingston as a commercial zone. This market
brand would be strengthened by the systematic and institutional abating and neutralizing
of the environmental risks (for example, crime, criminality and social disorder) that make
Downtown commercial life unsafe and undesirable. Kingston Lifestyles would also
represent a unique place identity of a modern and cosmopolitan space where shoppers
and visitors can experience their aspirational desires such as connecting to the global
space –technology hot spot, food court, small theatre for movies, etc.
The social and economic architecture of this strategic clustering and risk management
would include all stakeholders such as area residents, merchants and visitors - developing
and valuing, and hence commoditizing a connection to the Centre. This should make
them suspend, if not abandon their more narrow enclave social-political and economic, as
well as class identities, in favour of the more modern, hip and inclusive globalized
cosmopolitan place identity of the Centre. This constructed place identity is the social and
public capital glue that bonds together the component parts of the cluster into a
marketable and commoditized single identity –The Hip Place in the heart of Downtown
Kingston.
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