Environmental Planning in the Caribbean

Book excerpt: Illustrated by case studies from both smaller nations - such as Carriacou, Barbados and St Lucia - and larger countries - including Cuba, Mexico and Jamaica - this volume brings together leading writers on environmental planning in the Caribbean to provide an interdisciplinary contemporary critical overview. They argue that context is central to the practice of environmental planning in this region. Rather than focusing on a deterministic colonial geography and history, the contributors propose that, whilst a wide range of foreign planning influences can be felt in different contexts, environmental planning emerges in specific settings, through the fluid interaction between local and global relations of power. A number of chapters explore the effects of external discourses upon the region, while others examine discourses on Western-style democracy and tourism. Other important themes covered include participatory planning, urban planning, physical development planning, pest management, sustainable development, water pollution, conservation and ecotourism.