President Luis Abinader is backing Mayor Carolina Mejia and her Integrated Santo Domingo Plan for Coordinated Urban Development. The President expressed optimism that with collective effort, Santo Domingo could become the best-organized city in Latin America.
President Luis Abinader, alongside the Mayor of the National District, Carolina Mejía, presented the Integrated Santo Domingo Plan (PISD) on Tuesday, 25 February 2025. This strategic initiative aims to foster the city’s organized growth through coordinated and effective inter-institutional management, ensuring its long-term execution and sustainability.
The city government of Santo Domingo in a first term of Carolina Mejia has been criticized for allowing major high-rise and high-density constructions mainly in the city center Poligono Central areas of Santo Domingo, subjecting these areas to intense usage of the current public services (roads, parking, potable and sewage water supply, etc). Just recently, Naco neighborhood juntas have been disputing the relocation of the Passports Agency and Indotel to the already congested residential and commercial area.
In a first term, Mejia had also been criticized by neighborhood groups for the backing of a quick-sex motel on the western side of the Malecon. The city government eventually desisted from its backing and the Superior Administrative Court (TSA) ordered a ban to the completion and operation of the motel.
Now, in the PISD, Mejia is retaking the plan for the Caribbean Sea-fronting 14-km long Malecon to be the star of Santo Domingo. The Mejia city government is behind the continuing of the Malecon park areas and the construction of the 50,000 park area in the Maharishi school grounds. The Malecon connects the city to the other major attraction, the Colonial City historic area. Included in the new proposal is a cruise ship port off the Malecon.
The National District city government’s comprehensive plan now proposes to reorganize urban development with a focus on sustainability and mobility. Its implementation will significantly impact key areas of the city, including the Santo Domingo waterfront (Malecon), highway connectivity, protection of the historic center, and expansion of strategic infrastructure for tourism and the economy.
Additionally, it includes the creation of new public spaces, green areas, sports facilities, and an improved mobility system benefiting drivers and pedestrians alike.
President Abinader emphasized the ambitious nature of the plan, with a vision spanning the short, medium, and long term. “Our major contribution is this plan, which should be part of the Land Use Plan for Greater Santo Domingo,” he stated. He clarified that this initiative arises as an integral plan for Santo Domingo, advised by other countries and approved by all the municipalities of Greater Santo Domingo, working in coordination under the leadership of the National District Mayor’s Office.
“This plan must be a commitment from all of us. We are initiating it, but it should be a commitment over the next 10, 20, and 30 years for both national and local administrations. It should be viewed as a national plan, one for all of Greater Santo Domingo, where we all need to commit, including political parties and sectors, to defend and support it because it will truly ensure the quality of life for our residents,” the President added when expressing his backing.
The head of state acknowledged that some sacrifices would be necessary in certain areas but expressed confidence in its positive impact on the city. He urged the plan’s adoption by all municipalities as part of the Land Use Plan, aiming to improve the future of Santo Domingo, enhance quality of life, and increase security and efficiency.
President Abinader also recalled the introduction of the Integrated Transport Plan for Santo Domingo a year and a half ago, noting ongoing projects like the Santo Domingo West Cable Car and the proposed upcoming trams to go up along Winston Churchill and Independence avenues.
Mayor Carolina Mejía highlighted the plan’s focus on both physical infrastructure and citizens’ quality of life, emphasizing its long-term sustainability. The plan includes proposals such as the Los Trinitarios Bridge to alleviate traffic congestion in the historic center, and world-class facilities like a new marina and cruise port opposite the iconic Jaragua Hotel, enhancing Santo Domingo’s global connectivity.
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26 February 2025