The residents of Valletta have seen the Ghost of Things Yet to Come and it looks decidedly awful. The frightening vision of the future came disguised in the market-speak of the revised local plan policy for Strait Street and Il-Biċċerija.
Even before reading it, I just knew it would include the words ‘vibrant’ and ‘hub’ – because everything in Malta has to be a ‘hub’ (remember that cutting-edge technology hub Smart City? Now hosting cat shows) and we perceive ourselves as possessing this unique Mediterranean vibrancy instead of admitting that what we like to do most is to gorge on takeaways in air-conditioned cribs.
Sure enough, the obligatory references to a vibrant hub were inserted into the revised document. We read that the area in question is being “designated as a Creativity and multi-Cultural Hub to facilitate the rehabilitation and revitalisation of this unique site and quarter of Valletta into a vibrant 24-hour destination”.
Naturally, this set alarm bells ringing for the Valletta residents. Because a “24-hour destination” is marketing-speak for “round-the-clock noise, disruption, streets choking with tables and chairs and people peeing on doorsteps”. In other words – this will be Paceville 2 – the sequel. Or Paceville with a bit of (Renzo) Piano thrown in. When discussions about reviving Valletta had started, V18 chairman Jason Micallef had said that he hoped Strait Street would become the Paceville of the capital and that it would be an entertainment venue for young people.
Well, Micallef is always good for a bit of controversy (don’t get him started about Eurovision) and inevitably he got dissed for wanting to transform the capital into Paceville’s twin – a vomit-strewn area where teens in hotpants weave between vomit patches and bouncers who need anger management courses.
At the time, I had given him the benefit of the doubt because Valletta did – still does – need some livening up in the evening after seven when the shops close down. But I’m afraid that this latest reference to parts of Valletta as a “24-hour destination” does not bode well – primarily for long-suffering Valletta residents, but also for the character and authenticity of the capital.
Valletta will be just another spot for the consumers of entertainment. A sort of Paceville with a baroque backdrop
There are several reasons which indicate that this all-hours approach is not a good idea for Valletta. In the first place, it is terribly derivative – a pathetic attempt to transform the capital into a Paceville Mark 2 or a mini-Ibiza – a perpetual party destination. Only one problem with that idea – it’s been done before – elsewhere. And you can’t successfully replicate a formula that has worked in another context. To quote Judy Garland: “Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.” There are already several late night noisy entertainment destinations. Why does Valletta have to share the same fate?
Then there’s the humungous elephant in the room: enforcement. Which authority is going to see that regulations about street furniture, encroachment, noise levels, traffic, vehicular access and general law-abiding is going to be enforced?
Because for as long as I can remember there has been only one instance of enforcement action taken in the past 30-odd years. A couple of weeks ago, a 10-man posse of policemen descended upon a wooden cowboy statue (with one hand) and a chalk board in Gżira and got them removed in one hour flat. Other than that, I can’t recall a single instance of enforcement of any regulations.
Whole shanty towns have been built on public land, people have tampered with their electricity meters, there’s an illegal zoo in operation, Gaffarena has his petrol station and Cavett Place – a restaurant without a permit – open for business and there hasn’t been a single, firm attempt at enforcement. How is the situation going to be different for Valletta?
The most depressing aspect of this “24-hour destination” proposal is the fact that it is directed solely at commoditising Valletta – making it an entertainment “hub” (there – I’ve used the word too) to generate money. Valletta is no longer considered as the home of residents but as a cash-cow for visitors, diners, tourists and party-people. Look closely and see if you can identify one single proposal which will benefit residents, families and Maltese people who want to live in Valletta. I couldn’t find one.
There is nothing to encourage the organic regeneration and revival of Valletta by long-term residents who will create a sense of community and hand down a sense of history and tradition to future generations.
Valletta will be just another spot for the consumers of entertainment. A sort of Paceville with a baroque backdrop. Earlier this year a workshop about the future of Paceville was held. People who attended talked about the feeling of the sterility and decay of the place.
I desperately hope that history will not repeat itself with Valletta. This is what anthropologist Elise Billiard Pisani wrote about that other 24-hour destination Paceville:
“But when the sun rises and the neon signs are switched off, the cruel rays of sun reveal the dirt and the broken walls, the aftermath of a war zone of desire. The heat amplifies the stench of piss, beer and bleach. As the last shadows of the night vanish into thin air, there is no place to hide or seek refuge. The music of the night is replaced by the cacophony of traffic congestion and construction works.”
cl.bon@nextgen.net.mt