Institutional Aspects of Spatial Planning for Paramaribo
Johan Martinus
3 September 2019, 12:30
Room 01 West 640
The presentation starts with an overview of the growth of Paramaribo. Planning by the Governor was left in the first half of the 19th century. The five and ten years planning after WW II needed a renewed involvement by the government in spatial planning and the construction of houses. So an expropriation act came in 1948, a building act in 1956 and an urban planning act in 1972. However the building act and the urban planning act worked only in Paramaribo and two far-away places Nickerie and Apoera, leaving the possibilities open to build everywhere else, causing urban sprawl and also causing a declining quality of the inner city. Since 2014 legislation works in a much bigger part of the country, but still the government is not able to role, intended by the legislation, which is outdated at the moment.
Bio:
Born 1946, educated at (former) Technische Hogeschool Delft, Faculteit der Bouwkunde.
Living in Suriname since 1987. Till end 2018 lecturer at Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Faculty of
Technology, Department of Infrastructure. Through the years assigned with nearly everything related to
architecture, building techniques and spatial planning. Since 2012 also working at the Institute for
Graduate Studies and Research, coordinator till 2015 of a Master in Urban Planning and Managent, at
the moment preparing a Master in Urban Planning and Design. Since 1992 part time consultant for IBT
Engineering Consultants.
Involved in:
Preparation of a Management Plan for the Paramaribo World Heritage Site by Harold Sijlbing, 2011
Planning for Social Housing in Paramaribo, with the City of Amsterdam, 2011
Several EU funded and VLIR funded projects on education in urban planning with European and
Caribbean Universities (since 2012)
A transportation study for the former Ministry of Transportation, Communication and Tourism in 2014
Consultancy for a Social Impact Study and for additional planning of infrastructure for the railway
proposed by the government of Suriname, 2014-2015
Development of a view on future planning frame in Suriname and the view on infrastructure in it for the
Ministry of Trade (2019)
Action planning for Paramaribo for Inter American Development Bank, 2019
