On Good Friday I went out to sightsee the city, since it was practically empty. Everybody headed for the countryside in an effort to get away from the roaring crowd. What they didn’t know, is that they were carrying the roaring crowd with them.
During my city tour, I visited a Greek cathedral and Atlapa Convention Center, one of the most attractive buildings in Panama. These photographs will be posted tomorrow. As I walked through the Flag’s Square of the convention center building and beside the Sheraton Panama Hotel & Convention Center, I saw a tall and wide wall of concrete. This wall completely blocked the view of Panama Bay. In the name of progress we were denying the city a view to the ocean.
The construction boom going on in Panama is getting dangerous. In an attempt to become the most advanced country in Central America, with the highest buildings, we are running the risk of suffocating the city. Everywhere you turn, there’s a new building in construction. The green spaces are being sacrificed and replaced by glass, steel and concrete.
I’m afraid that a construction industry out of control will paralyze the city. The traffic jams (tranques) are everywhere. The electric power infrastructure is almost saturated and the water supply during summer time is reaching its limits. I hope our next president will take a hard look at this critical environmental issue before it’s too late. Panama City is looking more and more like an urban jungle surrounded by concrete walls.
This is the urban wall I saw last Good Friday about 5:00 p.m. (-5 GMT). Here we go.
Photograph of a complex of buildings forming a wall beside the Sheraton Panama Hotel & Convention Center in Panama City, Panama. On the other side of these buildings is Panama Bay. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
A black and white version of previous photograph. This picture emphasizes the sensation of being walled by the high rise buildings which are also obstructing the view to the ocean. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
Progress is a tricky word. In the name of progress, many government officials might be doing just the opposite. This could be the case of Panama City with a construction industry out of control. Good Day.
