Santo Domingo: Mini NYC

karina

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It is no secret that Leonel is trying to turn SD into a mini version of NYC. Does anyone know of any references that allude to this, such as newspaper articles or books? Does Leonel adress this in any of his books?
Thanks for any information....
 

TEHAMA

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I think to say mini-NYC is a stretch but he's probably trying to follow behind San Juan which recently open their 10 year, and very over priced subway.
TEHAMA
 

Chirimoya

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It comes from a speech Leonel gave during his previous term as President (1996-2000), IIRC. He really did say it.
 

karina

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he said it....

yes, I know he said it, I just don't know where to find the quote....
 

Naufrago

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"Send us your tired, your poor..."

The thing that made NYC great was/is the people. The diversity and energy that is NYC, comes from the continually changing and vital immigrant waves that keep crashing upon its shore. No amount of tall buildings, and underground subways will make SD look like NYC, except maybe like Washington Heights.
 

TEHAMA

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He really said it? That's some scary shtt! Some lame people refer to Atlanta as the NYC of the South. Which is a very stupid reference for anyone to make. Chicago can't even make much of a claim being the second largest US city. NYC, above everything else that makes it NYC, it is first a World Financial Market and Banking Center. Everything else is just fluff that makes a city a big city. No other city in the world can even come close to that!

I dont understand his reference. Perhaps its taken out of context? I surely hope so.
TEHAMA
 

Chirimoya

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It's got to be out there somewhere, but with those key words it's not an easy topic to search on in the forums or news archives, let alone the www as a whole.
 

NotLurking

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Sto Dgo Este
karina said:
It is no secret that Leonel is trying to turn SD into a mini version of NYC. Does anyone know of any references that allude to this, such as newspaper articles or books? Does Leonel adress this in any of his books?
Thanks for any information....

I know Leonel is rumored to have said something along those lines but I haven't been able to find any quotes. I've search his official site but had no luck in locating anything that comes close. Here is the link to his site. Perhaps someone has better luck or searching skills than I.

NotLurking
 

TEHAMA

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Thanks. Now, it all makes sense.

As the Church Lady on SNL would say.......Nevermind!
TEHAMA
 

NALs

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He did said that, but...

it's really unclear what exactly he meant by that.

If anything, he could had meant:

A) I'll turn the CAPITAL CITY into a mini version of NY.

B) I'll turn the COUNTRY into a mini version of NY.

C) I'll turn the CAPITAL CITY into a capitalistic vibrant urban center of the Caribbean that would resemble NY.

or

D) I'll turn the COUNTRY into a capitalistic vibrant center of the Caribbean that would resemble the US (he using NY since most uneducated Dominicans refer to the US as NY).

He made this comment during his first run for office back in 1996.

The most earliest remarks he made (referring the DR or Santo Domingo to some other place) was in Miami right after he came back to office last year making the statement that he wants to turn the DR or Santo Domingo into a mini-Florida.

Given that in 1996 he wanted to turn it into a mini-NY when he referred to the Dominican masses here in the DR and in NY and last year he wanted to turn the DR into a mini-Florida when he was addressing the Dominican community in Florida, it makes sense to believe that Leonel wants to turn the DR into what the US is, but on a smaller Caribbean scale.

This could very well reflect his administration overall responsibility when it comes to fiscal management and trying to push the country to economic boom. Whether its working or not is a different matter, but he is trying, unlike a few other politicians who shall remain nameless.
 

Naufrago

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Or, Maybe he meant that he would turn it into a haven for corrupt police and politicans, where no law abiding citizen would dare walk the streets alone at night. :tired:
 

bienamor

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Apr 23, 2004
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Nal0whs more on that

Got news for you It's not only the uneducated that refer to the USA as Nueba Yol.

When my daughter was attending Carol Morgan one of the teachers was trying to tell her that florida was part of the state of Miami. I am assuming that the teacher qualified as educated???

and if you say no I'm not going to New York, then you have to be going to miami, or boston
 

Dwald

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remarkable the fact that Leonel was absent from the recent Congress Sto. Domingo 2015, where leading urbanists tried to persuade us not to copy the biggest errors of "city making".
The problem is we are too close to the Usa and especially Santo Domingo is too close to Miami, said Penalosa. (there was a standing ovation after his speech) Leonel was obviously not listening.
 

Moca

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Tehama

TEHAMA said:
He really said it? That's some scary shtt! Some lame people refer to Atlanta as the NYC of the South. Which is a very stupid reference for anyone to make. Chicago can't even make much of a claim being the second largest US city. NYC, above everything else that makes it NYC, it is first a World Financial Market and Banking Center. Everything else is just fluff that makes a city a big city. No other city in the world can even come close to that!

I dont understand his reference. Perhaps its taken out of context? I surely hope so.
TEHAMA

Just to clarify Los Angeles, CA is the United States second largest city.

I am sure Leonel meant trying to make Santo Domingo into a little New York was a vision of making the capital a better place. On my first trip to the DR in September of 1996 I recall the buzz that Leonel had done more to change the country in a month than what had ocurred in the the previous 20 years.
Cities in general have their share of excesses and one could not reasonably expect SDQ to be an exception.
 

Mr_DR

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karina said:
"Al llegar a la Presidencia en el 1966, el Dr. Fern?ndez pudo plasmar, al menos, parte de su sue?o, de convertir a la ciudad de Santo Domingo, en ??un Nueva York chiquito??. "

http://www.leonelfernandez.com/noticias/2002/junio/04june_lehmanb.htm

still haven't found his actual speech that says this, but I'm getting there....
You mean 1996

I told many of you that LF is obsessed with NYC and will not rest untill he accomplishes it. The Atlantica project aproval is really just another step toward his goals.
 

Mr_DR

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Dwald said:
remarkable the fact that Leonel was absent from the recent Congress Sto. Domingo 2015, where leading urbanists tried to persuade us not to copy the biggest errors of "city making".
The problem is we are too close to the Usa and especially Santo Domingo is too close to Miami, said Penalosa. (there was a standing ovation after his speech) Leonel was obviously not listening.
IMO, Penalosa is full of it.

Right there you can see that hi is very much against a developing DR.
"That DR should not build a city just because it is too close to Miami and New York" Is this guy a retard? I am very sure that this guy had a standing ovation out of courtesy.

In a country where its population is estimated to more than double in an avg of less than 30 years, I do see the needs of more skyscrapers.
 
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TEHAMA

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Moca said:
Just to clarify Los Angeles, CA is the United States second largest city.

I am sure Leonel meant trying to make Santo Domingo into a little New York was a vision of making the capital a better place. On my first trip to the DR in September of 1996 I recall the buzz that Leonel had done more to change the country in a month than what had ocurred in the the previous 20 years.
Cities in general have their share of excesses and one could not reasonably expect SDQ to be an exception.

Moca, youre absolutely correct. I lived in LA at that time (the 1990 Census) when it replaced Chicago as the second largest city. I simply forgot that.

There are many visions to be made and shared. As a City Planner of more years than I would like to admit, I am bothered most when political officials promote an idea that is totally unachievable, unrealistic, lack real vision. I think we all know this. However, how would you measure the success and failure of such a lofty goal? In planning circles there is such a thing called "peer groups." Which are like items. Transit systems, communities, school/water districts, etc. of similar size and nature. Comparisons are made and goals reached. The city grows and develops appropriately.

Why stop at NYC? Why don't Sto Dom become more like Paris, London, or the most-adored Barcelona?

As I said in an earlier post and alluded to the original notion that such a comment would come from a Harvard grad.

Nevermine.
TEHAMA
 
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