'Parklettes' seen as key to building communities
Bermuda is one of the most densely-populated countries on the planet.
The Island of 21 square miles is home to an estimated 66,000 people, with open spaces becoming an increasingly precious commodity.
At the same time, rising anti-social behaviour is resulting in gang violence and young men being killed by gunfire.
Urban areas however, could soon be reclaimed as community recreational space and turned into 'parklettes'.
The scheme is being proposed to Cabinet by the Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) and Sustainable Development Roundtable.
By transforming Government properties and derelict areas into urban recreational space, SDU director Charles Brown says the parklettes could help to diffuse anti-social behaviour.
"They will certainly provide another opportunity for people to engage in community recreation," said Mr. Brown.
"There was a time when we played football and cricket in our neighbourhoods, but some of those places have disappeared because of the demand for housing.
"Our population density was the eighth highest in the world in 2005 and I suspect we are still in the top ten. We are approaching 3,000 people per square mile.
"Parklettes are an effort to create recreational areas in densely-populated communities. They are important in that we need that balance between population density and open space and recreation.
"They could be somewhere to sit off and play chess and read the newspaper, or to play football."
Mr. Brown said the initiative aimed to build on a programme of community development areas, currently "a work in progress" in the Ministry of the Environment.
"The round-table has started to identify potential areas that will qualify as a parklette, but this requires further consultation with colleagues in Government, particularly the Ministers of the Environment, Works and Engineering, and Finance."
He said: "They could be properties already in Government's bank or could involve reclaiming properties. We will be working closely with the Ministry of Works and Engineering in finding properties for this initiative."
