General Title: Geography School

Based Assessment
Title of Study: Urban Settlement
Land Use in Belleville, St. Michael,
Barbados.

Name of Student: Karla C. Bovell

Candidate Number: 0300140258
Name of School: Harrison College
School Code: 030014
Territory: Barbados

Table of Contents

Aim of Study
Location Maps - Map of Barbados
- Site Map of Belleville
Methodology
Presentation of Data
Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix

Aim of Study
To observe, record and determine the main land use in Belleville, St. Michael,
Barbados.

Methodology
At the location George Street and Pine Road, Belleville, St. Michael, Barbados the
study was carried out in the avenues 1 11.
The date the study area was visited was on Wednesday, 9 th of October, 2013 from
1:30 pm to 3:00pm.
The geography class departed by bus from Harrison College at 1:30 and drove to
the study area. The class disembarked at the 1st avenue. On reaching there the class
was split into 5 groups of three or two and issued with various items to use while
doing the study.
The students used the map to first find the avenues assigned to them. They then
proceeded to travel up each avenue while observing, recording and mapping the
main land use of each avenue on their respective places on the map. The
information recorded on the map was the land use classified as the following,
being either a residence (R), service (S), financial (F), medical (M), medical
support (MS), school/daycare (Sc), church/mosque (C), beauty service (B), vacant
(v) or dilapidated (d). Also whether the building was a single or double storey and
if it was either a modernized or traditional structure. In addition, photographs were
taken using a camera of the land use.
Also, from each avenue two businesses were chosen to be surveyed. A permission
letter was shown to inform them of our purpose and then a student proceeded to
ask them the questions from the questionnaire while another recorded the
responses. A copy of the questionnaire and permission letter can be found in the
appendix.
After completing all of the tasks from the study, the class met back at the 1 st avenue
and the bus collected us at 3:00pm to take us back to Harrison College. Back at
Harrison College the various groups exchanged the information collected and it
was collated, analyzed and later presented in the form of a written report.

Presentation of Data
The study area, Belleville, divided into eleven parallel avenues, has been
modified to a great deal. Decades before it was just an upper class and high-income
residential area that was filled with impressive and majestic homes of that time.
Most of the avenues then were private with only few of them being allowed
entrance to the public. It was a well laid out community that was filled with the
upper class that had moved out of the upstairs homes of their Bridgetown
businesses.
Now the peace and tranquility of this well structured development has passed.
Since having been converted to a site of commercial and business activity there is
now the noise of the constant hustle-and bustle of consumers, employees and
residents going about their business.
To begin with, while viewing the land use within Belleville, it was seen that they
were many different services located there and still quite a lot of residential homes
within the area and also a few unused and vacant areas. This can be seen
represented below.

Land Use in Belleville

8%
56%

Residential
37%

Services
Vacant/Unused

Figure 3. Pie chart showing the main types of land use in Belleville

The services were then further categorized, so as to show what type of businesses
and the percentage of them within the area. All of them were then compared to
each other.

Types of Service
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
a
g
e
s

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Series 1

Figure 4. Column Chart showing the percentage of services located in the Belleville area.

As the results in Figure 4 show, the area is heavily filled with medical services. It is
seen as the main type of business located there and with it being so close in
proximity to the QEH, it is probably convenient for the business owners as their
patients who may need further assistance can easily and quickly travel to the QEH
in case of emergency or any other purpose. The amount of medical services could
also have resulted from their being many upper-class citizens once living there and
back then the main form of work was either in medicine or law, so as the buildings
were passed down their generations with the children being doctors, they probably
decided to convert their homes into businesses of the sort. In addition with their
being so many medical services, there must be some medical support businesses
nearby also that can provide the medical supplies needed by the customers, which
leads us to the fair amount of medical support businesses within the area. Next,
there is also a good number of financial agencies in the area which can be useful to
the people who may want loans to pay for their medical needs or as this being a
high-income place, manage their funds at a nearby location and also even for the
people who are looking for a financing agency that they could get to more easily
than going all the way into town with its traffic. They were also a lot of other,
various services within the area that were there, but were too little in number to
class in a full category of its own and were so placed under Other Services.
Continuing, with Belleville being just like a community, they were day cares and
nursery schools there providing education and also giving the parents a location

that is on their way to town, that wouldnt be out of their way of work that they
could leave their child. They were also a few beauty supplies stores in the vicinity
that people could easily get their various beauty items and need so as not to have to
go right into town.

Avenue 11
Avenue 10
Avenue 9
Avenue 8
Avenue 7
Avenue 6
Avenue 5
Avenue 4
Avenue 3
Avenue 2
Avenue 1

Church
Dilapidated
Vacant
Beauty Supplies
School/Education
Other Services
Financial
Medical Supplies
Medical
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

Residential

Number of Type of Services

Figure 5. Bar Chart displaying the distribution of service types within each avenue of the Belleville area.

In Figure 5 above, you can clearly see which the different types of services in the
area and the comparison to one another. Within the avenues 7-11 there is still many
residential buildings, but there is still a considerable amount of businesses. Most of
the businesses though appear in the other avenues and the most prominent of them
is the medical and medical support. This is expected as it is mainly a medical area.
Also seen very little land is wasted and not used.

Type of Architectural
Structure
Modern

Traditional

25%

75%

Figure 6. Chart showing the percentage of buildings with modern or traditional structures within the
Belleville area.

Following on, it was noted whether the buildings were either of modern or
traditional architectural structure was made and a diagram of the percentages of
each was compared in Figure 6.
Modern architecture is known as the movement of architecture that began in the
20th century, it is also architecture that is characterized by the simplification of
forms and subtraction of ornaments, modern architecture can be some of the most
futuristic, colourful, innovative designs ever. Modern architecture these days there
are so many materials that architects can use to create different effects on
buildings. On the other hand traditional architecture are mainly classified as
historical buildings that have a lot of character and culture incorporated into them
and is the conservative way of building used by architects. Their main aim is to
retain the beauty of a particular community or culture giving each one an
individual stamp.

An Example of a Traditional Building in Belleville

in Belleville

An Example of a Modernized Building

As seen in Figure 6 three-quarters of the Belleville area has modern structure, which
shows great change has been had to the area and many people have chosen to
renovate their homes and businesses from the earlier traditional structure leaving
the community with few of the early traditional structures of past times. Most of
the business owners when interviewed even said the building had been totally
transformed. The buildings may have been renovated and modernized to keep up
with the modern times and to catch peoples eyes but the little traditional
buildings left behind are still a lovely sight to see.
Continuing, a total number of 22 businesses were interviewed. Fortunately, the
people from the businesses when asked questions from the questionnaire (in
Appendix), were very helpful in their responses. It was found that they were also a
lot of similar responses. When asked what the location was used for before many
either said residential, open land or that it was the same type of business. Also, the
main reason for most moving to their location in Belleville was for space and
parking, more commercial area as Belleville is a well-known business area within
Barbados and it would be good for business, for convenience of staff and clients
and for ownership of the building since most moved from places in town and
wouldve most likely have had to rent the building. Also asked were what the
benefits and disadvantages of moving to the Belleville area. Below is a table listing
the various responses to the question.

Benefit
Responses

# of businesses
with that
response
More parking space
10
Proximity to
5
Bridgetown
Room for
6
expansion
Proximity to QEH
3
Quiet Area
3
Business linkages
4
Affordability
5

Disadvantage
Responses
Security
Poor street
lighting
Competition with
other businesses

# of businesses
with that
response
10
3
2

Figure 7. A table displaying the benefits and disadvantages of businesses located in the
Belleville area.

The most heard answer for benefits was the parking space and expansion, which
suggested they were previously located in compact or concentrated area such as in
Bridgetown. The medical businesses in the vicinity all said that their main
advantage was business linkages, as there were many medical associates around
and therefore more advertised as a medical area. A huge disadvantage in this area
was that theres a lack of security. One business even said that one of their patients
were robbed and also, a lot of robberies are said to happen in the area which could
be as a result of the poor lighting in the streets at night that was mentioned by
another business. Also a few daycares, said the competition with some of the other
daycares was a problem but the fact that the area was a quiet one was good for the
business.

Renovations

No Renovations

Length of Time in Belleville

14
12

27%

Number of
Interviewed
Businesses

10
8
6
73%

4
2
0

Figure 8. Pie Chart showing the

percentage of businesses with
and without renovations

1 - 10 years

(+)10 years

Figure 9. Column Chart showing the

number of businesses and the length of
time (in a range of 1-10 or above 10
years) they were located in Belleville.

Lastly, as seen in Figure 8 above there has been many renovations and
transformations to the businesses buildings in the Belleville area. This occurrence
can be linked to the number of years the business has been in the building or how

recently they had moved there. The businesses that had been there longer may have
needed to renovate to keep up with the modern times and the ones that moved
recently probably needed to transform the past older building to newer conditions
or because there was a change in the type of business now moving there. As shown
in Figure 9, there are almost an equal number of businesses which have recently
moved there and the ones which had been there for a longer time. The recent ones
slightly edge out the older ones, which goes to show that there are still businesses
that are still moving to Belleville and that the area is still developing.

Conclusion
Belleville has changed noticeably and is still constantly changing and improving.
Even with it now being a business area it continues to flourish. Many of the
inhabitants seem to be very supportive of the changes.
The avenues now consist of both residential and non-residential services. However,
there are now more business and non-residential services flooding the area. The
main type of business situated within the area is medical and medical support.
There are also many institutions and offices providing various services to the
public.
The structures of the houses in the Belleville area have also been modified a great
deal. Most of the houses are now designed in a more modern structure than the
traditional. By the responses of the owners of the building it also seems that more
and more renovations will continued to be made as time passes. If newer people
continue to move there, even more modern buildings will most likely be seen as
the area continues to be developed.
Additionally, due to responses to the question of the disadvantages and benefits of
moving to Belleville, it can be concluded that by moving or

All in all, it is seen that Belleville has been transformed from its previous use as a
mainly residential area to a commercially active and business area.

Bibliography
Rahil, V A (2002).

New Caribbean Geography with map reading and CXC questions

San Fernando: Caribbean Educational Publishers.

Watson, Karl (2003)

Bridgetown Expands in the late Nineteenth Century The Creation of the

suburbs of Belleville and Strathclyde. Journal of the Barbados Museum
& Historical Society, XLIX 192-203.

Wilson, M (1997).

The Caribbean environment for CXC Geography.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.

OTHER SOURCES
Google Maps (2013)

Belleville, Bridgetown, Barbados. Retrieved from www.maps.google.com

Philip, G (2000).

Barbados (Map). 1:143 000 In Philip's Certificate Atlas for the Caribbean.
(4th ed.) London: Philip's. (p. 35).

Appendix

Permission Letter

Questionnaire