From promenades to petrol stations, some things dont change

Abstract

The development of promenades, complete with street furniture and ancillary facilities, is a gentrification tool frequently resorted to by politicians and administrators in general, given the feel-good factor that such infrastructure normally brings. Given that promenades promote pedestrianisation within areas of scenic appeal, they are in general very popular with vast swathes of society. The whole promenade glaze is somewhat sullied when earmarked sites for the promenade development are environmentally sensitive. For instance, planning application PA04647/18 proposes the lateral extension of the existing Triq it-Tabija, meandering down from the Roman Villa towards a number of Rabat hamlets, in order to accommodate a promenade, paving works, street furniture and even additional parking spaces.