Published in e-flux Architecture

‍It is difficult to separate a critique of a single piece of infrastructure (like a road) from the belief that promoting infrastructure brings about change, that through change comes progress, and that through progress comes enlightenment. As a result, present-day discussions around infrastructure in Jamaica often fall within a very shallow “development vs. anti-development” debate. The government has taken advantage of a collective anxiety for development by weaponizing this binary, where people who are “for development” are also understood to be “for progress” and “the future,” while anyone who poses a critique must want to keep all Jamaicans “behind” and stagnant.

Throughout the history of Jamaica, the spectacle of infrastructure has evoked feelings of progress and an enthusiasm of the imagination. While a road’s technical function is to transport vehicles from one place to another, it can also be a fantastical object that generates desire and awe. That road not only encodes the dreams of individuals and societies, but is also the vehicle whereby those fantasies are transmitted and made real..... Read More ➜

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