Sustainability and the Urban Environment in Trinidad and Tobago

Photo taken from Newsday of East Dry River  P.O.S.

There is a lot of discussions concerning Sustainability in the development of the country but as you walk through the urban area of Port-of-Spain, there are few sings that indicate the government's and the businessmen's attitude and concept of sustainability with regards to the environment. What is the meaning of sustainability to the government and to businessmen in the urban spaces? Is it concerning the growth of the urban space by developing the design of structures and the use of the urban space to attract and update commercial activities in an effort to increase the foot traffic which seeks to add to profit that can be made by each establishment.
As one walks through Port-of-Spain there is very little green spaces that are seen and the evidence of measures to encourage environmental appreciation are very small, making no impact on the attitudes of the people that pass through the city. The urban area is more a reflection of the lack of focus upon the environment as persons throw their trash onto the streets and the drains as they make their way to the various destinations. The extent of the pollution of the urban space is seen even before you you enter the city. A huge black cloud of smoke hovers over the city as one approaches as the air is filled with the emissions released from the vehicles that pass through the city.
When one hears of discussions of sustainability the first concept involves the improvement of the lives of the people by the construction of buildings and the utilization of resources to further develop the urban space which would lead to better upgrades of the spaces and by extension the people that live and use these spaces. little mention is made of the environment and policies and programs that can or have been devised to introduce the "green" into the urban area. The green is scarce and more situated on the periphery of the urban area. It's quite shocking to know that the headquarters of the  Environmental Management Authority is situated in the city and their voice is one that is silent!
P.g. 305 of "Urban Geography," has a quote that states, " The city has been defined as being the key building block in the path towards a more sustainable world. It is clear that cities have fundamentally affected the development of the environment, and will continue to do so, and that the environment should, if present concerns are are taken seriously........ Rather, it is becoming apparent that many economic processes, social and urban forms are unsustainable."