Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie said the "re-imagining of Nassau is happening all around us" and the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, in the heart of Historic Charles Towne, the precursor of the City of Nassau, is an example of the process. The Prime Minister addressed a Presentation by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) of the final report and 3-D model of the city of Nassau at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB), West Hill Street, July 28, 2016.

"Two decades ago, this beautiful building homestead (formerly known as ‘Villa Doyle’) was in ruins," Prime Minister Christie said during a speech at the Gallery, on the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiatives (ESCI) and, in particular, the Sustainable Nassau Initiative (SNI).

"The restoration of this building was a catalyst for the regeneration of this neighbourhood," Prime Minister Christie added. "It is for me to congratulate the work of the proprietors of Graycliff and other surrounding businesses along West Hill Street for their efforts in the revitalization of this community."

The event that day included the unveiling of the project design for Nassau by the Urban Design Lab, led by Mr. Roland Krebs and members of the faculty of the Urban Design Department of the Technology University of Vienna, students of that programme, and students from the School of Architecture of the College of The Bahamas.

Prime Minister Christie also congratulated the heritage and cultural based businesses that had established in that neighbourhood, such as Tasty Teas and Educulture.

"These small business are part of the realization of The Bahamian dream of ownership in our economy," he said.

"We have also seen Johnny Watlings establish in this neighbourhood, reinvigorating the Buena Vista property and improving the tourism product in city centre," he added.

As the community continues to redevelop, Prime Minister Christie noted, interested persons have seen a growing stream of tourists and other customers patronizing businesses in that area and providing a base for future economic and cultural development.

There is still a healthy professional community in that area with lawyers, artists and medical facilities, he added.

"The area is further anchored by several historic churches – beautiful, tranquil testaments to the Bahamian culture, religious experience and history," Prime Minister Christie said. "We must now encourage more people to choose to live in Charles Towne, to rehabilitate the beautiful home sites that dot this area and to complete this ecosystem."

Prime Minister Christie pointed out that "Sustainable Nassau" is not only ambitious; but it is people-centric and it is future-focused.

"For me, it is important to reiterate my gratitude to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for their generous funding of this initiative in the amount of $1.1 million," he said.

Like the Vision2040 National Development Plan, this initiative is dependent on the participation and input of Bahamians, Prime Minister Christie stated.

"It is critical that we reflect on who we are as a people and what is important to us," he said. "We must consider where we want to go in the future and plot a course to get there."

"The city that we are building must be one that is alive, with exciting cultural activities, opportunities for wealth creation for our young people, and hubs for creativity and innovation; so that the country will retain the local talent needed to grow our economy," Prime Minister Christie added. "It is also through this initiative for economic sustainability that The Bahamas will continue to attract the international resources we need for our country to thrive."

Prime Minister Christie said that as The Bahamas looks towards the year 2040, it cannot be satisfied with the status quo.

"We must be ambitious with the goals we set for ourselves and dismiss any notion that we cannot achieve best-in-class status in the education available to our youth, the healthcare and wellness programs offered in our communities, or the social protection mechanisms for the most vulnerable among us," he said.

Prime Minister Christie noted that the event held that day, together with the workshops and meetings that were held that week, would conclude the second component of the Sustainable Nassau initiative (SNI).

That component of the project has resulted in the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders from both public and private sectors and people living in our most historic, over the hill communities, he said.

"From the insights gained through these processes, together with the results of the phase one baseline studies on greenhouse gas emissions, environmental hazard mapping and urban growth and land use, we will prioritize the areas and sectors where critical action and investment are necessary," Prime Minister Christie stated.

Additional studies on ‘smart’ city strategies, energy efficiency, solid waste management, transportation and mobility and city management are ongoing or in the pipeline for the near future," he added.

"From these additional studies, we will identify projects for implementation in the short term that can improve the quality of life for all residents," he said.

The final component of the work will be the development of the Master Plan – an Action Plan -- for Nassau, Prime Minister Christie noted.

"This will not be a plan that sits on a shelf and never sees the light of day," he said. "Rather, this will be an action plan that is available to the public so that we can always keep sight of where we want to go and the steps we must take to get there.

"The world will also be able to see where Nassau stands compared to its peers in the region, via the Urban Dashboard platform that tracks the performance of the over 60 cities in the region participating in the IDB’s Emerging and Sustainable Cities program."

Prime Minister Christie said The Bahamas will put this plan into action to produce tangible results that the Bahamian people can "see, touch and feel."

"Our citizens, residents and visitors are deserving of an efficient and reliable public transportation system," he stated. "A sustainable waste management system is long overdue. Public spaces, accessible to all persons regardless of physical ability, should facilitate the exchange of ideas and expressions of our culture and talents.

"We must leverage technology and smart applications to improve service delivery by government, making it easier and cheaper to do business.”

The work that is being done with the plan is very timely, Prime Minister Christie stated, and the renaissance of the historic city of Nassau has been overdue.

"It is in many ways the heart of the nation, a point where the old meets the new, where many diverging facets of The Bahamas coalesce – the commercial centre; the homes and birthplaces of many celebrated Bahamians; the port of entry and face of country for visitors; the majestic elegance and old world charm of the seat of Government; the financial centre; the cultural epicenter embodied by the National Art gallery and the Educulture Museum and; unfortunately in recent times, the face of poverty and decay," he said.

The Plan of Action revealed, beginning with this unveiling of the project design for Nassau, represents the first step in the formation of creative and innovative solutions to the problems of an urban city environment, Prime Minister Christie said.

"It provides us with a picture of a re-developed Nassau: a vibrant historic cultural city, where everyone is welcome and feels a part of the city, and have access to the best in services and infrastructure -- an energetic city by day and night," Prime Minister Christie said.

By Eric Rose

Bahamas Information Service