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IDB´s role revitalizing heritage housing in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo

May 10, 2022 por Alexandra Alvear - Benoit Lefevre - Luis Schloeter - Editor: Daniel Peciña-Lopez Leave a Comment

Este artículo está también disponible en / This post is also available in: Spanish


A climatic approach for economic and social development

The Colonial City is the oldest urban nucleus of Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. It was the first permanent European settlement on the continent, serving as an urban model to be replicated in other colonial cities in America. On December 8, 1990, the Colonial City of Santo Domingo (CCSD) was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its heritage and cultural assets.

Currently, it is perceived how the heritage buildings in CCSD have been modified by their inhabitants, gradually losing their connection with climatic conditions. Consequently, the living conditions have deteriorated, negatively affecting the commercial and tourist attractiveness of the area.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), as a strategic partner for the development of the Dominican Republic, collaborates in a housing improvement program in CCSD, with special emphasis on the incorporation of energy and water efficiency measures, in line with the objectives of mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change of its Vision 2025. We invite you to keep reading and discover how the IDB is supporting the recovery of housing with climate criteria in the historic center of Santo Domingo.

Colonial City of Santo Domingo: a jewel of world urban heritage

The impressive facades of CCSD’s heritage buildings speak to its vibrant and far-reaching architectural history. Its configurations are witnesses of the transformation and adaptation of its occupants in response to their housing and economic needs.

In its conception, the Spanish colonial architecture of the first years of the 16th century was adapted to the environmental, social, and cultural needs of Santo Domingo. CCSD preserves heritage buildings whose designs expose large windows and perimeter porches that, together with patios and backyards, guaranteed the circulation of fresh air and natural lighting inside. French interludes incorporated in the balcony facades are denoted to guarantee comfortable shaded spaces on the hottest days.

A new life for heritage buildings

Currently, and as is the case in other historic centers in the region, residential and commercial demand is declining. Structural deficiencies are perceived in roofs and interior spaces, which exacerbate vulnerability to meteorological phenomena. This is evidenced in recent cases of housing collapses, since the Dominican Republic suffers from recurrent climatic events such as extreme rains and tropical cyclones.

Heritage buildings with residential and commercial spaces in Barrio Santa Bárbara. Source Google View, image date March 2019.

How have heritage houses changed over time?

CCSD’s heritage buildings have undergone morphological changes to their spaces, especially during the Republican period (1844-1930) described in The Return to Historic Centers. According to this analysis, the heritage buildings were dividing and forming smaller residential and commercial units. Its large windows became small doors, porches were boarded up, and the windows were reduced.

Likewise, its patios and backyards became habitable spaces, influencing urban densification limited by existing sanitary conditions and affecting habitability conditions. The reduction and elimination of porches and windows affected the lighting and natural ventilation of the spaces, and therefore, significantly increased their interior temperature.

Therefore, occupants were forced to use lighting and ventilation systems, reducing their economic attractiveness and resulting in abandoned buildings.

Heritage buildings in CCSD with boarded up windows. Source Google View, image date March 2019

IDB supports housing revitalization

The IDB supports the revitalization of housing through the Comprehensive Tourism and Urban Development Program of the CCSD, and an operation of $3 million dollars from a donation of resources from the European Union.

Given the climatic vulnerability of the region, the IDB promotes the adoption of architectural and structural strategies that support green and resilient housing. Among these strategies are cost-efficient measures for sun protection, thermal insulation, ventilation, and natural lighting, among others. Structurally resilient solutions to natural disaster risks and climate change impacts are also included.

Although the green and resilient criteria tend to increase the initial investment, the savings throughout its life cycle due to the decrease in the cost of operation and maintenance, increases the value of the property and affects the quality of housing life and well-being.

An historic neighborhood prepared for a future full of prosperity

The improvement of housing in CCSD will improve the quality of life of residents and promote urban revitalization including its commercial and tourist attraction.

CCSD has the potential to become a top-level tourist attraction and a model for other heritage neighborhoods with similar characteristics. Its impact will generate the diversification of cultural tourism in the Dominican Republic, and its result will be directly reflected in the housing and economic well-being of its residents.

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Filed Under: Housing, Sustainable development Tagged With: climate change, housing, Neighborhood Improvement Programs, sustainable housing, World Heritage

Alexandra Alvear

Alexandra Alvear es ingeniera civil con un máster en Ciencias y Gestión de Proyectos en Ingeniería Ambiental y Energía de la École des Mines de Nantes, Francia. Cuenta con 10 años de experiencia en la gestión integral de proyectos de evaluación ambiental y cambio climático con especial énfasis en la eficiencia energética en edificaciones y soluciones basadas en la naturaleza; y ha ejercido como profesora asociada e investigadora en Ecuador. Alexandra forma parte del Grupo de Infraestructura Social (GIS) del Sector de Infraestructura y Energía (INE) del BID como consultora especialista en infraestructura sostenible; brindando soporte en el diálogo y la incorporación de medidas de mitigación y adaptación al cambio climático en obras de infraestructura edilicia, y su seguimiento en la ejecución, en varios países de la región como Argentina, Brasil, República Dominicana, Trinidad y Tobago, entre otros.

Benoit Lefevre

Benoit Lefevre is an economist working as a senior specialist at the Climate Change division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). His work focuses on improving climate friendliness of IDB-Group operations (Loan, Result & Policy Based Loan, Credit line, Technical Cooperation, etc.) for both mitigation and adaptation, leveraging climate finance and catalyzing private investment in clean resilient solutions (TOD, Electric bus, Green bonds, Resilient road and bridge, Metro, etc.). Benoit leads or participates in operation in Mexico, Colombia, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Peru, Chile, Argentine, Paraguay and Panama. To date at IDB, his focus has been transport, energy, cities, and natural disasters. Benoit also represents the IDB in the MDBs joined Working Group for Mitigation Climate Finance Tracking, and in the IFI Technical Working Group on GHG accounting. Previously, Benoit worked for the World Resources Institute (WRI) as Global Director of Energy, Climate & Finance of the Center for Sustainable Cities. In this role he led activities on alternative business models, municipal finance, capacity-building, upstream project preparation, urban energy modeling and integrated transport-land use policies. Prior to joining WRI, Benoit was director of the Urban Fabric program at IDDRI and visiting scholar at Berkeley University. Trained engineer, he holds a PhD in economics and finance, and did his post-doctorate at Colombia University. Benoit was Lead-author for 5th Assessment Report of the IPCC. He is author of 5 books, several academic papers and opinion columns.

Luis Schloeter

Luis Schloeter is an urban economist with more than 10 years of professional experience. He specializes in municipal infrastructure, real estate, and local economic development with a focus on strategic planning and financing. He has a proven track record in the origination and management of urban infrastructure projects. He has published studies on municipal finance and infrastructure, decentralization and urban governance. Luis also has experience in the economic evaluation of infrastructure projects and Public-Private Partnerships. In Latin America, Luis managed a development study aimed at transit and capital gains capture for the Carrera 80 tram project in Medellín, Colombia. In Costa Rica, he provided technical advice for a project finance study for a major urban and real estate regeneration initiative in San José. In Panama, it supported strategic planning activities for infrastructure investment projects in several intermediate cities with heritage assets. In the UK, Luis led an economic appraisal study for the development of a green housing project that will deliver 2,350 units in Manchester. He also worked successfully on a proposal for the designation of a freeport area in the East Midlands. Luis also supported the development of a strategic and economic case for the regeneration of a disused industrial site in the north of England, which will attract investment and create new jobs in high-value sectors. Currently, Luis is a Sector Specialist in Housing and Urban Development at the IDB in the Dominican Republic. Previously, he was Senior Economist at Vivid Economics at the McKinsey & Company Group in London, UK. Luis has a Master's in Urban Economic Development from University College London and a Master's in Urban Planning from New York University. He is also a Certified Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst.

Editor: Daniel Peciña-Lopez

Daniel Peciña-Lopez is a specialist in international affairs, development and communication. He has more than 9 years of professional experience in diplomatic delegations, and international organizations in cities such as Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Madrid, Mexico City and Hong Kong, among others. Daniel is Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, Master of Science from the University of Oxford Brookes and Licenciado from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He currently works as a consultant managing the knowledge and strategic communication of the Housing and Urban Development Division, belonging to the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Sector of the Inter-American Development Bank.

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Este es el blog de la División de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano (HUD) del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. Súmate a la conversación sobre cómo mejorar la sostenibilidad y calidad de vida en ciudades de América Latina y el Caribe.

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