photo 1: showing a Chinese grocery (DA ZHONG HUA) store along the Western Main Road. This picture is meant to display the busy and business oriented lifestyle within St. James (it is open at night).
photo 2: showing a neighbouring Chinese grocery (Trust Mart) almost directly next to the first. It is open early for business on Friday morning. This also displays the business oriented characteristics of St. James.
These 'super markets' display urban characteristics of commercial development and high population density (as they are new businesses and the fact that larger populations require more sustenance)
photo 3: showing yet another Chinese-owned Business (Red Edge Shopping Centre) along the Western Main Road. It is a wholesale and retail store that sells mainly urban apparel (clothes, accessories etc.)
Through this, one can see the rise of a Chinese ethnic economy in St. James. This also occurs in many other urban areas of Trinidad especially in the form of Chinese restaurants.
photo 4: showing a small business on the Western Main Road (Randall's Pharmacy Ltd.). Image shows that a variety of business exist in St. James - a characteristic of urban areas.
photo 5: showing newly opened furniture business, Mi Casa on the Western Main Road. It can be associated with the wealthier group of citizens in and around St. James.
In an urban community the social existence of persons is somewhat centered around wealth and material possessions. The worth of an urban resident (urbanite) today is being 'judged' not by who they are but by what they possess. Status symbols in the form of financial assets and costly homes and appliances are important to these urban residents. This shows the materialism associated with urbanization which can be seen as both a defining characteristic and a cause for the process.
photo 6: showing the interior of Long Circular Mall around Christmas season. This shows the vast efforts put into promoting consumerism and materialism. This mall contains a multitude of products and services (banking, fitness, food, and of course, retail). It is located on Long Circular Road, St. James and can be considered the major shopping center of St. James.
source: newsday.co.tt
References:
Kaplan, David H. "The spatial structure of urban ethnic economies." Urban Geography 19, no. 6 (1998): 489-501.
Yourarticlelibrary.com,. 2015. '20 Important Characteristics Of Urban Community | Sociology'. http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/20-important-characteristics-of-urban-community-sociology/4873/.
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