By Brian Major
The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) this week approved a $90 million loan to finance continued renovation of historic, public and tourist infrastructure in the Zona Colonial district in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic’s capital.
The new funding will “help recover public spaces and historical monuments, improve living conditions for residents, develop [the] local economy and strengthen historical area management,” according to an IADB statement. The financing supplements Dominican Republic government initiatives launched this decade to restore streets, buildings and public streetscapes across the historic district, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The project will also provide assistance to residents of the district by assisting 200 low-income households with “gentrification dynamics,” said officials. Other plan aims include the restoration of historic facades, traditional squares, the historic city wall and adjacent public spaces.
The funds will also be used to improve economic prospects for small and micro-sized business enterprises, prioritizing those that are owned by or employ area residents, with an emphasis on strengthening training related to tourism service delivery.
Historic buildings including the St. Francis Convent will undergo renovation, along with museums and public spaces. The district will also receive new water, sewerage and storm drain systems plus new electricity and communications wiring, public lighting, street furniture and road signs. Tree planting on will take place on “priority roads” and new traffic installations will prioritize pedestrian traffic, said officials.
“The program also contemplates improving the [Zona Colonial] governance and implementing sustainable management principles and plans to strengthen tourism and tourism-related services,” the statement adds.
Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial was the first permanent American settlement for 15th-century European explorers. The district features Calle de Las Damas, the oldest paved street in the Americas which leads to Plaza de Espana, a broad stone courtyard highlighted by Alcazar Colon, the restored palace of Don Diego Colón, a son of Christopher Columbus and the 16th-century Spanish viceroy of Santo Domingo.
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