The current issue of the Christian Science Monitor reports on the Colonial City renewal works underway now that the attraction is less than 2.5 hours away from the country’s main beach area, Punta Cana. The report by Ezra Fieser says that the government is carrying out the ambitious revitalization project in an attempt to convert the colonial-era city into a destination, and create a pedestrian-friendly street design in a city overrun by motorbikes and microbuses.
It points out that while the Dominican Republic is the most visited country in the Caribbean, less than 10% of the nearly five million tourists who visit come to Santo Domingo. “The push to increase visits to the city is part of a government plan to position the country as more than just a beach vacation, by highlighting its culture and history,” writes the journalist.
The Christian Science Monitor report continues: “Urban planners believe that a reinvented colonial city can serve as a model that balances the automobile and the pedestrian. “You can’t just pretend the automobile doesn’t exist,” says Agamemnon “Gus” Pantel, an archaeologist who oversaw digs in San Juan and is now working on a study in Santo Domingo. “But what you can do is find a way to bring harmony that respects pedestrians.”
www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2014/0204/Long-overlooked-the-Dominican-Republic-s-colonial-capital-gets-a-face-lift