PRESIDENT Irfaan Ali’s Georgetown “City Revival Plan” would have made the Canadian visionary urbanist and grassroots activist who challenged conventional city planning with common-sense observations, proud. When Jacobs wrote “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” in 1961 without any formal training in the field, she influenced the view of cities as living, integrated ecosystems.

The plan to transform Georgetown into a “Garden City” is a gargantuan mission and one that will require all hands-on-deck. This is not the time for anyone, least of all residents of Georgetown, to sit idly “on their hands” and do nothing.

Cities are earthly symbols of paradise. I recall standing on the observation deck of the Toronto CN Tower and being amazed at how green the city appeared. At an elevation of 1,815 feet, the city was a jungle on the shores of Lake Ontario. Green lush gardens and water are vital necessities, but they are also a reflection of paradise that creates opportunities for spiritual reflection and meaningful social interaction.

I’ve been fortunate to have visited over a hundred cities around the world, and the most memorable ones all have vibrant waterfronts, stunning museums, impeccably maintained drainage and canals, abundant green spaces, walkways for pedestrians and designated zones for cyclists, such as Stockholm and Helsinki.

The president’s plan to beautify the Stabroek waterfront and market areas will certainly boost tourism, recreation and commerce, but it will also reflect the city’s identity as an intersection of cultural diversity and national pride. Likewise, the Lamaha Railway Courtyard will be more than just a place of recreation but will also be a space for conversation and deep reflection.

The president spoke last week about the need for broad stakeholder participation and called on the private sector and for a more robust civil society engagement to ensure behavioural change. For Jacobs, this is the foundation of any successful transformation.

To drive the conversation and stimulate behavioural change over time, I believe the government should invest in sending small delegations of private and civil society stakeholders to visit and observe best practices in countries where residents are engaged in transforming cities defined by colonial legacies, particularly those that are adapting innovative techniques and policies to withstand the adverse effects of climate change.

In Caño Martín Peña, San Juan, Puerto Rico, they might witness how a Community Land Trust used grassroots planning and advocacy to transform a district that faced severe flooding, marginalisation, which was plagued by informal housing, into a model of community-driven resilience and urban justice.

In Durban, South Africa, they could observe how community organisations played a key role in upgrading informal settlements to help bridge the gap between the legacy of apartheid-era spatial segregation and a more inclusive urban development model.

In Mumbai, India, they will witness how the city’s Redevelopment Scheme, working in tandem with organisations like the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), has resulted in land tenure, flood risk management and service upgrades for former slum dwellers, and directly confronting colonial land ownership structures and exclusionary planning.

In Camden, New Jersey, USA, although not a postcolonial city in the Global South, it demonstrates how a city with a legacy of economic decline and social inequality can be revitalised through strong nonprofit-local government partnerships, grassroots leadership, and collaborative community redevelopment, such as the Cooper’s Ferry Partnership.

There is also a lot to learn from cities in developed countries. Paris’s adaptive reuse of historic structures while transitioning away from car dependence aligns with Georgetown’s blend of heritage restoration and sustainable mobility upgrades.

The city of Medellín in Colombia managed to revitalise public spaces and build strong transit networks to improve social integration and urban safety, similar to the PPP/C Administration’s focus on civic landmarks and modern transportation.

The Lisbon “Green Plan” connects climate adaptation, biodiversity, greenways, and heritage conservation, a direct parallel to President Ali’s green urban enhancement and LCDS 2030 strategy.

Durban, South Africa’s inclusive approach to vendor and small business participation in the design of public spaces, compares to the president’s emphasis on stakeholder inclusion and community pride.

And New York City’s High Line Park, the transformation of disused railway infrastructure into a vibrant public space, mirrors the Lamaha Railway Courtyard project proposed for Georgetown.

Under the leadership of President Ali, Georgetown can and should be the venue for the World Urban Forum (WUF) in the coming years. The gathering is the world’s most prestigious annual conference on city planning and sustainable urbanisation, bringing together thousands of participants, including government officials, urban planners, academics and civil society from over 150 countries. Established by the United Nations-Habitat in 2001, WUF13 will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in May 2026.

If President Ali’s vision is to be realised, Georgetown can become the stage for the power of local wisdom and collaboration. Our city could set a new standard for beautiful cities amid the great challenges of the 21st century. President Ali’s vision for the city’s transformation is not just policy; it is an act of hope and shared imagination, and I believe there is no better time to begin that journey than now.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.