Road vendors and more food!

photo 1: showing fruit stall on the corner of Bournes Road and the Western Main Road.

This photo also depicts a building of mixed use. Behind the fruit stall the building consists of a pharmacy downstairs and a Christian church upstairs. Mixed-use development is urban/suburban development, or even a single building, that blends a combination of residential, commercial, cultural or institutional uses, where those functions are physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections. This mixed use also shows the optimal use of vertical space. This is an important urban characteristic as it shows the utilization of scarce land by vertical usage. Mixed-use developments can increase the convenience and enjoyment in people's everyday lives.

photo 2: showing a doubles vendor on a Friday morning on the Western Main Road.

Doubles is a local dish that is widely eaten across Trinidad and Tobago and is therefore part of urban culture and cuisine. It is also the go to food for a quick, cheap breakfast of urban dwellers with a fast-paced lifestyle. It is often consumed on spot which then gives way to increased social interaction. Many people have their doubles with slight pepper.

photo 3: showing a drink cart, Harry's Punch on the Western Main Road.

It only opens at night to accommodate the people of the social side walks and night life. 

              Having a number of vendors in close proximity can sometimes lead to competition.

photo 4: showing an ice cream vendor at night on the Western Main Road in front of the post office.

This shows an aspect of the night life very effectively since this vendor obviously cannot be present during the day in front of a public building.

photo 5: showing a pirated DVD roadside store on the Western Main Road.

Urban community functions include that of entertainment, and where there's entertainment there is always Food, St James has a wide variety of both eats and drinks. Urban areas like St. James possess a large variety of food choices. This is because the urban community provides a sufficient market for these small businesses to be profitable and therefore abundant.

References:

Amarasekera, Athula. "Critical analysis of vertical mixed use development: the transit and spatial interface." PhD diss., The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1996.

Tinker, Irene. Street foods: Urban food and employment in developing countries. Oxford University Press, 1997.