LifeGrid Magazine July 2017 | Page 12

REUNITING WITH MY COLONIAL CITY .

by Tamara Mera
remember when my Mother used to take me to the Colonial City to buy clothes and shoes . We would come all the way from Barahona , a province located in the south
of the country , to the “ Conde ”, the main shopping street of Santo Domingo back in the 70 ´ s . Back then , it was only a two-track street . When I walk on it today as the pedestrian space that it has become , I wonder how two cars coming in opposite directions were able to travel through it . For me , el Conde street , the Alcazar and the Las Damas street made up the Colonial City , Primate of America .
A few years later , I was offered the coordination of a Project that had the main objective of contributing with the revitalization of the micro and small businesses located in the Colonial City , and since entrepreneurship and supporting small businesses is my passion , I couldn ’ t feel anything but fortunate for the opportunity . However , I never imagined that this Project would not only get me to reunite with this City that I used to visit with my Mother , but would also allow me to take a stroll through each of its narrow streets and recognize every monument , every business , every home , all the history that , like the pieces of a puzzle , make up that square kilometer of the city of Santo Domingo .
The Project was designed as an addition for the revaluation of the Colonial City that ’ s been ongoing since 2012 by the Development of Tourism Program , managed by the Ministry of Tourism , which is focused mainly on the improvement of urban public space . To date , among its main achievements , we can highlight :
• The overhaul of 2.5 kilometers of streets for sightseeing tours .
• The recuperation of 120 historical facades , property of people of low income .
• A plan for alternatives to regulate street selling , which is currently being implemented .
In the Colonial City of Santo Domingo , or the “ Zone ” as many call it , you ’ ll find an important architectural complex from colonial times that was declared Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1990 , which encompasses a group of institutions considered a set of firsts in America : first cathedral , first town hall , first hospital , first customs office and the first university ; besides many other buildings of that era ( The Alcazar of Columbus and other royal palaces , fortresses , churches , convents , monasteries and hospitals ).
Like in many Colonial Cities , gentrifying has occurred , which has reduced its population since the 60 ’ s and up until the 90 ’ s , when the Colonial City suffered a process of depopulation due to the migration of its residents to other areas of the city that offered more comfort and better quality
public services , which had a negative impact in the economic activities of this area . Currently , its population is of approximately 7,750 inhabitants , 78 % of which are over 35 years old , contrary to the demographic tendencies of the country . The average income declared as single family income of over 50 % of the inhabitants only reaches $ 20,000DOP ( approximately USD $ 420 ).
For around 14 months I ’ ve been roaming around the cobbled streets of a city immersed in important changes , looking for micro and small businesses to incorporate to the assistance program that we offer . The experience of working with the business owners of the Colonial City has been enriching .
We ’ ve found two completely different business profiles : the micro businesses of more than 15 years of establishment , with very interesting proposals for traditional quality products ( cuisine , local sweets , arts and crafts , tailoring , etc ) but aren ’ t integrated to the experience of the City , for neither the tourist or the local residents ; and those that due to the process of urban rearrangement have taken advantage of the business opportunities that are opening up , creating more innovative and differentiated proposals . To date , we ’ re working with 40 of these micro businesses that are betting on their incorporation into the new offer that ’ s being developed in the Colonial City .
Tamara Mera , Engineer Consultant in the subject matters of Entrepreneurship and Business Management . Professor at the Department of Business Management in PUCMM , and Coordinator of the FOMIN Project of Commercial and Urban Revitalization of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo . ----------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail : tamara . mera @ gmail . com Facebook : https :// www . facebook . com / tamara . mera . 98 Linkedin : https :// www . linkedin . com / in / tamara-mera-146b856 /