I am writing because I recently attended the well-publicized planning kick-off meeting for "The Town’s Blueprint," a planning charrette, and left with a combination of strong feelings – none of them good.

I am a registered architect currently working and living in St. Thomas. I am also registered to practice in Maryland (I’m a native of Baltimore) and, as such, I have had ample experience interfacing with urban issues regarding zoning, planning and environmental impact both professionally and personally.

Skepticism
While attending last Friday’s pre-charrette event, I was surprised to discover that an urban environment such as St. Thomas, with such a long-reaching and well-documented history, would need an urban planning team from Florida to assist in redefining its urban character. I was skeptical.

Embarrassment
I was also struck by the strong opinions presented by local citizens. Many expressed nostalgia for the historic buildings and the way things used to be, as if these memories were absconded somehow by history’s evil spirits. The reality is that the Virgin Islands are run by a fairly independent local government with a well-established group of homegrown practitioners. This means that citizens have no entity to blame for the loss of these historic structures and memories but their own shift(s) in priorities.

As St. Thomas has become bigger and more busy, the value of these once beloved-structures has been pushed to the side. I was a little embarrassed by this realization. The root of my embarrassment perhaps, too, lies in my own historically-based fears of colonialism and Columbus-like projections of values upon a non-compatible, yet resilient and, somehow, willing culture. I ask myself: Why are these people here to fix the “problems”? Why am I here? Am I fixing any problems? Again, I was ashamed, primarily by my thoughts.

Confusion
I became impatient and bewildered by the fact that this meeting and events to follow – proposed to solve problems, propose new visions and preserve the character of an urban district a mere fraction of the size of any major developed city in the world – was even being held. Couldn’t these simple issues have been solved years ago by local professionals (planners, architects and other designers) who have maintained identical credentials to those who have been brought to St. Thomas as a part of this event to facilitate the discussion? I’m still confused by this.

St. Thomas has obvious planning and zoning lapses. Her traffic patterns don’t work. There is no apparent logic to or regard for pedestrian flow. This is so obvious that I, as a U.S. citizen (not born in St. Thomas), grow angry at the neglectful perception of nonsense which plays itself out quite publicly as we traverse such a naturally beautiful national treasure. Our problems are amplified by the smallness of our environment and the frequency at which we confront seemingly orchestrated chaos.

Specifically, as an example, everyone acknowledges that Veteran’s Drive was an error in planning judgment. However, Veteran’s Drive is but long enough to host a decent 5K run. Let’s fix it and move on, already! Let’s be bold, creative, precise and deliberate about our implementations. Despite our questions (mine included) regarding “outsiders” assisting in facilitating the discussion and corralling solutions: Let us embrace these donated resources and transcend the errors and poor judgment associated with adopting large-scale urban solutions to a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea.

Action
Citizens: Let us ask ourselves probing questions as we move forward as I often ask myself while living on this island, like: “Why am I driving the same car I would be driving if I lived in Boston when our island is not flat, endures soaring gas prices, has generally difficult terrain and really narrow streets?” We also drive on the left using cars designed to occupy the right, which is another discussion, perhaps of less importance, for another date.

Designers (and owners): We must make decisions based on local need and not imported desires. Our better informed decisions could serve as research for other societies seeking solutions (see Portland, OR). Fundamentally, the desired image(s) and perception(s) of being mainstream America threaten to overwhelm and trounce our U.S. Virgin Islands, hence the discussion of late. We are a small island with valuable and well-preserved historic fabric. We are not a major city or town and should not portent to be as we should not want the problems typically associated with such growth.

We can do better because we are Americans. We will still be St. Thomas but more effectively. We shall be more effective, independently, as we put forth a little more effort. Plan, shall we?

Jerryn J. McCray, AIA
Architect