By Joan Féliz
Special for El Inmobiliario
In many of the world's major metropolises, uncontrolled urban sprawl has had a clear yet silent consequence: the exodus of families from the city center to the suburbs. This is the case in New York City, where living in Manhattan—besides being expensive—represents a daily struggle against traffic, lack of space, and urban stress. As a response, thousands of people have chosen to settle in Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, or even New Jersey, commuting daily to their jobs in the city.
The same is happening in Mexico City, where those seeking more space, security, and tranquility have moved to municipalities like Cuautitlán, Texcoco, and Ecatepec. In Lima, districts like La Molina and Pachacámac have absorbed those who can no longer tolerate the traffic chaos and population density of more central areas. These phenomena share a common pattern: cities that grew without effective planning, where rapid vertical development was not accompanied by a proportional increase in infrastructure or services.
Santo Domingo is no exception
In recent years, our capital has undergone massive verticalization that has altered its skyline and urban dynamics. What began with isolated luxury projects has become an avalanche of towers that are reshaping traditional neighborhoods like Piantini, Evaristo Morales, La Esperilla, Bella Vista, and Serrallés. Where a single family once lived in a one-story house, today 40 or 50 families reside in a tower of 10 to 20 stories. Each family owns at least one vehicle.
Modernity or disorder in disguise?
At first glance, it might seem like a sign of development: more housing, more investment, more dynamism. But upon closer inspection, it's clear that Santo Domingo's vertical growth is occurring in a way that's disconnected from comprehensive urban planning. And that has consequences.
Traffic, for example, is one of the most visible and critical effects. Overcrowding of vehicles on streets designed for lower density has clogged major roads, increased traffic jams, and negatively impacted the quality of life for everyone, including those living in these new towers. Many projects are built with only 1.2 parking spaces per unit, in areas where each family owns two or more vehicles. The streets, already lacking functional sidewalks, become makeshift parking lots.
The District is emptying out… and becoming denser
Ironically, the more high-rise buildings are constructed, the more middle- and upper-middle-class families decide to leave the National District in search of a quieter, safer, and less congested life. They move to areas like Santo Domingo Este, Santo Domingo Norte, Los Alcarrizos, Pedro Brand, or La Guáyiga, and even to destinations like Punta Cana or Jarabacoa. The capital, ironically, is left with the cars… and without the permanent residents.
This phenomenon has profound urban and social implications. Much is being built, but not necessarily inhabited with stability. Many of these units end up in short-term rental schemes, with high turnover, failing to generate sustainable communities or a real urban fabric.
The illusion of luxury vs. the housing shortage
According to the Central Bank, construction represents approximately 10% of the Dominican Republic's GDP, a figure that demonstrates the sector's importance to the economy. However, this growth has not been enough to reduce the housing deficit, which exceeds 900,000 units. Of these, more than 600,000 are qualitative deficits and approximately 300,000 are quantitative deficits, according to the National Statistics Office (ONE) and the Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVHED).
Many of the new high-rises are geared toward a premium segment, with prices ranging from US$150,000 to US$350,000 or more. And the average Dominican? They're left out. The construction boom isn't addressing the most basic need: access to decent housing for the majority.
Overwhelmed infrastructure, collapsed services
The Public Policy Observatory of the UASD has warned that neighborhoods such as Naco, La Julia and Mirador Norte already have saturated sanitary and electrical networks, while population growth without the support of public spaces, green areas, storm drainage or nearby schools generates an uncomfortable and exclusionary city.
Building permits have increased year after year. In 2023 alone, the MIVHED approved more than 1,700 licenses, many of them for multi-family vertical projects. But this acceleration has not been accompanied by updates to land-use plans or a redesign of roads to make this growth viable. The result: a city in disarray.
And what is the role of the authorities?
The National District City Hall and other municipal agencies have been overwhelmed by the pace of development. The Urban Planning Department lacks an updated master plan, and many decisions seem to respond more to immediate interests than to a vision for a sustainable city.
The lack of coordination between entities such as INTRANT, Public Works, CAASD and the city councils has caused the towers to grow, but without sidewalks, without access, without drainage, without planning.
A city to look at, not to live in
Santo Domingo's skyline is becoming increasingly impressive. The towers, many of impeccable design, are attracting the attention of local and foreign investors. But a city isn't measured solely by its height, but by the quality of life it offers its citizens.
Today we face an opportunity: to correct our course before it's too late. We need modern urban planning policies, the participation of urban planners in the approval processes, incentives for balanced development, and a more human-centered approach to city building.
Conclusion: the problem isn't the tower, it's the improvisation
Building upwards is not a mistake. In fact, it has been done very successfully in many cities. But that success has been linked to conscious planning, with infrastructure, efficient mobility, adequate services, and a long-term vision.
In Santo Domingo, we still have time. Vertical development can be an ally of urban development… but only if it is done responsibly, with data, technical leadership, and a collective vision for the city's future.
