Editing Roseau (section)

==Architecture==
The central district of Roseau is tightly packed with small and large houses and even larger modern concrete structures. There is little green or open space in the city; there is even less today, as many of the [[courtyard]]s that were once commonplace are giving way to office space. The district is, however, framed in every direction by natural elements. The sea and the river provide water elements while the [[Botanical garden]]s and the [[Government House, Dominica|Government House]] gardens frame the city with green space. These elements are rare in the [[Caribbean]]. No other centre in the region has such extensive botanical gardens with such central location, and the Roseau River is among the largest that flow through any Caribbean capital.

The urban structure of Central Roseau is based on an irregular grid system of miniature proportions, making it a highly illegible city. Even though the grid area is not extensive, it is relatively easy for a visitor to get lost. The grid area has some 80 [[City block|blocks]] in an area of {{convert|30|ha|acre|abbr=off}}. In comparison, the grid areas of [[Kingstown]] and [[Castries]] — capitals of [[Saint Vincent (island)|Saint Vincent]] and [[Saint Lucia]] — have some 50 and 60 blocks in the areas of over {{convert|40|ha|acre|abbr=off}}. The average block size in Central Roseau is thus some ⅓ hectare (1 acre), i.e., about half of the figure of Central Kingstown.

There are some fine examples of West Indian architecture in Roseau. The ones that stand out the most are the [[French Colonial]] style and the [[Vernacular architecture|vernacular form]]. Much of the French influence can be found along King George V Street. Around the city there are good examples of the English influence in large colonial town houses and colonial public/government buildings.

[[File:Roseau in the morning.jpg|thumb|left|Roseau's French Quarter]]

The churches in Roseau are fine examples of Europe in Dominica with a bit of [[creolization]]. The Roman Catholic Cathedral stands prominent in [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] revival and the Anglican Church on Victoria Street in [[Georgian architecture|Georgian style]].