**6. Conclusion**

*Sustainability in Urban Planning and Design*

with the management of the Park once it is redesigned.

area designated as The Papine University Town (**Figure 9**).

*Proposed structure for the Papine university town local planning area.*

Development. The concept of Town Centre Manager, while new to Jamaica, has been in existence in Europe and North America for several decades. Andrés et al. [7] postulate that the town center management is more relevant now than before, as growing mega cities compete for prosperity on a global scale. They further noted that in the early days of its development in the United Kingdom, Town Center Management (TCM) was seen primarily as a response to external factors and "a comprehensive response to competitive pressures, which involves development, management and promotion of both public and private areas within town centers, for the benefit of all concerned" (p. 75). More importantly, they are also of the view that the Town Centre Management implies a co-operative rather than confrontational relationship with the private sector and all other stakeholders while striving to retain a local identity. The Government of Jamaica, through the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, representatives from the University of Technology, and representatives of the civil society are currently in dialog with the local planning authority to establish a town center manager to oversee planning regulatory functions and assist

While Andrés et al. [7] is a major proponent of a structured approach to town center management, Reeve [8], on the other hand, has concerns about the town center structure. He sees this structure being heavily influenced by the private sector or serving mainly its interest. He also argued that in general the management structure for most town centers across Europe are not elected by the people and thus making their accountability to the people questionable. Mindful of Reeve criticism of the town center management structure, based on the responses from the focus groups and surveys, the proposed structure below (see **Figure 6**) includes a management board with representatives from the political directorate in the form of the Member of Parliament(s) representing the national government and councilors from the local government. In addition, the other proposed members include representatives from the universities, civil society, business interests and other stakeholders. These members would appoint the town center manager and provide oversight for the implementation of development activities in the local planning

**360**

**Figure 9.**

Activities undertaken by higher education institutions across the globe demonstrates that these institutions are important assets to assist regional, national and local governments with achieving sustainable development, particularly those targeted and measured for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Small Island Developing States such as Jamaica, with limited resources have to rely heavily on higher education institutions to use cutting-edge research and technological advances to provide workable solutions for sustainable development. One of the primary areas that the universities assisted the government was collecting, analyzing, and mapping of data for the area around the Papine Park. The municipal government with responsibility for the management and maintenance of the park now has baseline data on the use of the park. This was the first of its kind for the municipality and for Jamaica in general.

As highlighted above the two universities played a significant role in assisting the government of Jamaica to plan, design, develop an urban public space. In addition, the researchers proposed a new framework to govern and manage the public space and the surrounding neighborhood. The proposed governance framework will help to increase participation of the residents in the decision making process; reduce inequalities; promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth; improve human health and wellbeing; foster resilience; and protect the environment. This is one of the major commitments of the New Urban Agenda associated with Sustainable Development Goal 11—"Safe, Inclusive, and Resilient Neighborhoods, Towns and Cities." which Jamaica agreed to. In essence, the redesign and construction of Papine Park as proposed by the university allow Jamaica to demonstrate its commitment to SDG 11.

The proposed design was achieved using the participatory approach which promoted the engagement of a wide cross section of users and potential users of the public park. As a result of the participatory approach used, residents and park users expressed a sense of ownership and belonging and knowledge of how the park should be designed. Safety and crime reduction, inclusiveness, accessibility and environmental sustainability were some of the major consideration voiced by the park users and these concerns were included in the proposed design.

The proposed design also gave due consideration to the multifunctional use of the areas for social interaction and inclusion, human health and well-being, economic exchange and cultural expression. In order for the multi-purpose park to serve future generations, the researchers proposed a governance and management framework that involves the major stakeholders in the decision making process. The involvement of the stakeholders will ensure that the design is implemented to meet the need of the primary users based on their feedback of the design process.

*Sustainability in Urban Planning and Design*
