FORMER Town Clerk at the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), Royston King, will launch his book titled, “Re-imaging Georgetown” in January 2020.

Having worked for more than 30 years at council at various levels across different departments, King had the opportunity to interact with several mayors and other government and corporate officials.

The thoughts and ideas he garnered from citizens on how to improve the conditions in the city are included in the book which he described as both an intellectual and practical narrative that transcends politics to focus on the dynamics of the socio, cultural, environmental and economic aspects of Georgetown.

“The contents of the book were forged out of a clear and profound understanding and an acute awareness of the urgent need not only to modernise the city but to lift it to a plateau of environmental integrity and good economic fortunes,” King told reporters recently.
He added: “My experience at council has defined everything that has happened since and has shaped my attitude and forced my view of the city into the crucible of a modern national capital.”

The book considers the “sorry” fact that after 176 years, Georgetown continues to face challenges with basic issues such as sanitation, solid waste management, water, drainage and irrigation, roads, energy, appropriate information technologies, traffic management and architectural integrity, and further discusses the financial woes of the city.

King said the book is set to ignite a national conversation by all stakeholders on practical solutions to address negative entrenched attitudes by some citizens that continue to hurt the environment. Also, it calls attention to appropriate and necessary actions that can put Georgetown on a trajectory of aggressive growth and development, including redesigning space and utilising technologies to make Georgetown smart, particularly in the areas of energy, engineering, transportation and information.

With Guyana’s oil and gas boom, the book looks at the role of the city to enforce compliance to certain bylaws and regulations to protect its natural environment.

“Considering the city as the commercial hub of the nation, the book examines approaches that can be used by city authorities to boost investors’ confidence and encourage and facilitate new, green innovations, initiatives and investments that can benefit residents of local communities and the city as a whole,” King informed, adding, “‘Re-imaging Georgetown’ discusses the opportunities for direct foreign investment, through linkages with other cities in this global village.”