The Plan establishes a settlement hierarchy consistent with the draft National Settlement Strategy for Trinidad and Tobago that classifies settlements in East Port of Spain according to their population size, function, characteristics, level of service provision, degree of urbanization and ease of accessibility. The Plan further articulates strategies for development and provision of the necessary facilities for settlements at each level of the hierarchy.
The Plan establishes District Centers at Laventille, Morvant, Port of Spain East and Belmont as nodes which provide a level of administrative and municipal services; commercial/retail facilities; community services, employment opportunities and infrastructure to surrounding urban villages based on the principles of economies of scale and service provision thresholds.
Urban Villages and Urban Neighbourhoods in East Port of Spain are mixed communities consisting of development that reflects diversity in type, scale and density located in close proximity to the resident population, in accordance with the models and standards of service provision articulated in Tables 1.1 and 1.2.
Comparison of the existing provision of key social and community facilities with the models of service provision and related development standards highlight significant gaps in service provision in East Port of Spain, with particular communities exhibiting extreme and compound deficiencies in provision of critical services, facilities, physical infrastructure, economic opportunities and environmental conditions. These include Sea Lots, Upper Belmont, St. Barbs, Mon Repos, Picton and Eastern Quarry.