Urban planner Angel Frias Sosa advocates for a change to proactive planning to stop chaos in Santo Domingo before it escalates. Architect Frias is a former director of the Institute of Urbanism of the state UASD university. He argues in an interview with El Dia that Santo Domingo needs better city planning. He believes that the city should not create ordinances for specific areas until the planned works for those areas are designed.
Frías Sosa made the comments in response to a question about an ordinance approved by the Council of Aldermen of the National District that declared the La Fe neighborhood a special use zone. The ordinance is intended to allow for the creation of large commercial plazas and housing projects in the low residential and commerce density area that is marked by the location of the Quisqueya Ball Park.
Frías Sosa said that one of the contradictions of urban design in the Dominican Republic is that regulations are often placed on what has already been built. He argued that the city should first design the neighborhood and then create regulations that benefit each space and the people who live there.
He also said that the city should define and design different types of zones in each neighborhood. He noted that the capital only has a central zone, where the main commercial and residential buildings have been erected. This has resulted in the area being completely densified, which has led to major problems in terms of urban image, road infrastructure, and transit.
Frías Sosa said that the city needs to be designed jointly in the short, medium, and long term. He added that regulations should be created that benefit each space and the people who live there.
Recently, city residents have protested the authorization by the capital city government of high rises and government offices in areas where there is already traffic congestion and no parking, with limited water supply, likewise.
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El Dia
El Dia
DR1 News
DR1 News
DR1 News
13 February 2025