Members of the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Architects (ABIA) and the Council of Architects of Antigua and Barbuda have volunteered their services to redesign the former Social Security parking lot in St. John's into an urban green space. According to Antigua.news, the initiative forms part of a broader effort to address what Minister for Social and Urban Transformation Rawdon Turner has described as widespread urban decay across the capital.
The architects met with Minister Turner on Sunday at the site to exchange ideas on converting the lot into a communal area designed to serve residents, including elderly persons, disabled individuals, and parents with young children.
Curisa Smith, president of the ABIA, said the group arrived with concrete ideas for the transformation. "We are on site at the Social Security parking lot and we're here to offer some assistance in terms of the transformation of the social security lot," Smith said. "We're here discussing all the ideas possible for making this into a green, morphing this into a new urban space."
Daryl Benjamin, chairman of the Council of Architects of Antigua and Barbuda, said the site presents an opportunity to introduce green infrastructure that is currently absent from the city centre. "It's a welcome space for St. John's, and the green space is definitely needed," he said.
Benjamin emphasised the range of residents who stand to benefit from a well-designed public space. "We have a lot of different persons who would utilise these spaces, disabled persons, women with children, elderly folks," he said. "So, we need to have these spaces put together."
Architect Aaron Carty-Nibbs said the project addresses a critical need for greening within a densely built urban environment. "When you have a lot of buildings around you, you need to have some sort of greening space that would promote social cohesion, bringing people together, having spaces to basically be communal, and at the same time provide a sort of cooler environment for the city," Carty-Nibbs said.
Minister Turner said the architects came forward without solicitation, following a public consultation on St. John's City held several weeks earlier. "After that consultation, I had a brief discussion with a number of young professionals in Antigua and Barbuda about St. John's and what needs to happen in terms of architecture and urban interventions across the city," Turner said. "And I'm happy that they offered, without anyone asking, to volunteer their skillset, their skills, and to give back to Antigua and Barbuda by helping us design a space here in the city."
Turner called the intervention urgent, warning of the consequences of inaction. "If you look across St. John's City, you see what is termed as urban decay. And if we don't have these types of interventions, if we don't begin the work of transforming St. John's City, the city is going to die," he said.
The minister confirmed that once designs and concepts are finalised, the transformed space will be opened to the public. "Very soon, once the designs and the concepts have been finalised, we're going to transform this space and we're going to open it to the public," Turner said.
