In March 1970, Pipe Sereno's family moved to the old Trujillo estate, west of Santo Domingo, the origin of what after more than fifty years would form the Mirador Sur, Norte, Los Cacicazgos, Real and Los Restauradores sectors, most of them bordering the great lung of the city of Santo Domingo: Mirador Sur Park, inaugurated by former president Joaquín Balaguer during his second term on December 25, 1970.
Today they constitute exclusive urban spaces that house the upper middle class, shopping centers and businesses, towers and apartment buildings that compete in height, consumption and comfort with urban areas of Miami or Panama, in a country like the Dominican Republic with sustained growth in recent decades between four and five percent.
However, despite the progress and well-being of its residents and owners, the established businesses, and the overall prosperity, these privileged sectors are all part of the city of Santo Domingo, the oldest city in the Americas, a metropolis that over the years has become an amorphous, chaotic, and heavily congested behemoth. Urban mobility is frustrating, exhausting, and slows down the daily activities of its citizens.
According to the World Bank report published in 2022, “Preparing the ground for prosperous cities and territories: A review of urbanization and territories in the Dominican Republic,” the expansion of Greater Santo Domingo has been sustained in recent decades, creating a huge demand for formal housing and quality public services.
A recent diagnosis by the Ministry of Housing and Buildings (MIVED) and the National Statistics Office (ONE) indicates a significant housing deficit and a high proportion of informal settlements with deficient housing conditions.
According to the results, the total housing deficit in the Dominican Republic for 2020 was 1,464,463 homes, representing 44.1% of all occupied homes. Of this total, the qualitative deficit was 1,071,380 homes (32.26%) and the quantitative deficit was 393,083 homes (11.84%).
The lack of affordable housing pushes the occupation of unsuitable land (hillsides, riverbeds, mangroves), which increases the risk of floods and landslides and complicates the provision of basic services.
Mobility and transport
The mobility system in Greater Santo Domingo combines a metro, cable car, state-run buses, minibuses, and informal transportation (shared taxis). Modal integration, fleet capacity, service quality, and congestion remain persistent challenges. While there are projects and international support to consolidate integrated transportation systems, the transformation requires long-term policies, regulation of informal transportation, and sustained funding, according to the World Bank study.
Governance, planning and inter-institutional coordination
Urban management in Santo Domingo involves multiple actors: the National District City Hall (ADN), municipalities of Greater Santo Domingo, ministries (Housing, Public Works, Environment), and national agencies such as the ONE. International assessments (World Bank, IDB) have identified challenges in municipal technical capacity, institutional fragmentation, and the need for territorial planning frameworks that integrate transportation, housing, the environment, and municipal finances.
Climate risk and urban resilience
Santo Domingo is exposed to intense climatic events (already coastal risks—now sargassum). Public and private institutions involved in adaptation projects and plans prioritize urban resilience, especially in historical and coastal areas—but the scale of intervention needed (drainage infrastructure, wetland restoration, coastal planning) is still large.
Pipe Sereno now lives in a modest apartment building in Mirador Sur. Gone are the humble three-bedroom single-family home with a carport for one vehicle, a garden, and a backyard planted with avocado, mango, and loquat trees. What was once a gift from the universe is now cement, iron stairs, security cameras, and special locks to prevent further trouble.
