Dense urban areas are redefining real estate investment in the country, with properties that integrate housing, commerce, offices and services in the same space.
SANTO DOMINGO. – In 2025, the Dominican Republic is experiencing a silent but profound transformation in its urban development model , especially in dense areas like Santo Domingo and Santiago, which are betting on the new real estate paradigm: mixed-use properties that integrate housing, commerce, offices, and services in the same space.
This model, common in cosmopolitan cities such as Mexico City, Bogotá or Miami, is beginning to consolidate in the country as a response to densification , the demand for efficiency and the need to revitalize urban environments.
In the Piantini, Naco, and Bella Vista , where concrete rises and cafes coexist with offices and apartments, mixed-use development as a real estate trend is taking hold. But beyond being an architectural fad, this model represents a profound transformation in the way the country thinks about, designs, and inhabits its cities.
Mixed-use spaces combine all functionalities in a single area. Instead of separating zones by activity, they are integrated, allowing people to reduce their movement and fostering social interaction.
“These developments offer advantages for consumers and investors: convenience, profitability and sustainability,” says Eme Concepts, a firm specializing in contemporary urban planning.
What do international sources say?
1. Global Property Guide (GPG): profitability and densification
GPG, a British portal specializing in foreign investment, highlights that mixed-use development in dense urban areas like Piantini and Naco responds to land scarcity and high demand for integrated services. According to their analysis, this model allows for maximizing the profitability of real estate developments, especially in contexts of tourism growth and macroeconomic stability.
Furthermore, El Inmobiliario reported that vertical and mixed-use developments are gaining ground in Santo Domingo Este, where towers of up to 50 stories are planned, with residential, commercial and corporate components.
2. World Bank: Integrated urban planning
In its study “Enabling the Path to Prosperous Cities and Territories,” the World Bank emphasizes that urban densification must be accompanied by territorial planning. Mixed-use development is presented as a solution to avoid uncontrolled sprawl, improve land efficiency, and promote more inclusive cities.
3ECLAC: Sustainability and Territorial Equity
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) considers mixed-use development as part of a sustainable urban development model. In its reports on land-use planning, it highlights that this approach reduces inequalities, revitalizes city centers, and fosters citizen participation in urban design.
4. International Monetary Fund (IMF): indirect economic stimulus
Although the IMF does not directly address mixed-use development, its Article IV reviews of the Dominican Republic acknowledge that urban growth, driven by tourism and foreign investment, has generated new real estate dynamics . Mixed-use development appears as an adaptive response to this economic environment.
5. Trading Economics: Pressure on Prices and Integrated Demand
This economic indicators portal shows that rental prices in densely populated urban areas have increased by more than 170% in the last six years . This pressure has spurred the development of mixed-use projects that offer housing, retail, and offices in a single location, as a way to meet demand and contain costs.
A visible trend
In the Dominican Republic, projects such as Distrito Piantini, Blue Mall Residences, and Downtown Punta Cana integrate housing, retail, and offices with vertical design and shared amenities. The National District Mayor's Office has also expressed interest in promoting mixed-use spaces as part of its urban revitalization strategy.
This model also opens a door to rethinking historic spaces like the Agua y Luz Theater, which could be restored as a multi-purpose cultural amphitheater: art, recreation, fair trade, and living memory. In this context, mixed use is not only profitable but also symbolically restorative.
Mixed-use development is not just a real estate trend, but part of a broader urban transformation that redefines how we live, work, and remember.
Flagship projects
The first mixed-use tower in the northern region, located in the Panorama neighborhood, is 031 Condo, in Santiago. It will have 21 levels, with 85 apartments, 119 hotel rooms, retail spaces, and exclusive amenities. It was officially unveiled on September 30, 2025.
On the other hand, Noval has the Noval-BGC-CHEC megaproject in Santo Domingo East, which involves a US$900 million investment. It is a tourism and real estate complex that will include residences, shops, offices, and green spaces, with the aim of transforming the urban landscape of the eastern part of the capital and is expected to generate more than 5,000 jobs.
Why does it matter?
The rise of mixed-use development is redefining a segment of real estate investment in the Dominican Republic. It's no longer just about building isolated homes or shopping centers, but about creating vertical micro-cities that integrate living, working, and leisure . This not only improves land efficiency but also boosts the local economy and reduces pressure on urban mobility.
Mixed-use properties represent a strategic evolution in Dominican urban planning. In a context of sustained growth, international demand, and pressure on cities, this model offers a viable, profitable, and sustainable alternative. With flagship projects underway and institutional support, the Dominican Republic is positioning itself as a regional laboratory for multifunctional urbanism.
Why is GPG looking at the Dominican Republic?
Global Property Guide's sustained focus on the Dominican Republic reflects international validation of the dynamism and growing maturity of the local real estate market. As a firm specializing in comparative analysis of profitability, prices, and risks in more than 100 countries, GPG does not publish based on volume, but rather on strategic relevance.
Its coverage and frequent updates, comparative tables and rental return analysis indicate that the country has entered the radar of global investors looking for emerging markets with macroeconomic stability, tax incentives (such as the Confotur Law) and sustained demand.
In this sense, the presence of the Dominican Republic in GPG reports can be interpreted as:
– Recognition of regional appeal : The country competes with destinations such as Panama, Mexico and Colombia in terms of profitability and urban growth.
– Availability of reliable data : GPG only analyzes markets where there is statistical traceability, which implies that the Dominican Republic has improved its sectoral transparency.
– Interest from institutional investors : The publication of data on dense urban areas, prices per m² and rental returns answers key questions from international funds, developers and buyers.
Like a beehive
In its purest form, mixed-use urbanism resembles a beehive: a living organism where each space, like each hexagonal cell, fulfills a specific yet interdependent function. Housing, shops, green spaces, and cultural centers intertwine like the work of bees, generating a constant flow of energy, collaboration, and purpose.
Just as no bee lives in isolation in a beehive, in a mixed-use city daily life is woven together in community, reducing distances, optimizing resources, and cultivating a deep sense of belonging. This urban vision not only organizes space: it fills it with life.
