Colonial City of Santo Domingo

• Legal framework (undefined and unregulated buffer zone leading to urban development pressure and inadequate control of land use)
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
• Interpretative and visitation facilities
• Vulnerability to earthquakes and hurricanes
• Deterioration of historic structures derived from natural and social factors (including environmental pollution and lack of sensitization of local residents)
• Housing - Urban development project (Sansouci)
• Land conversion
• Management systems/ management plan
• Society's valuing of heritage
• Underground transport infrastructure

N/A

On 1 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/526/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

• Ministry of Culture (MINC) and the National District Council (ADN) is jointly ensured. The institutional strengthening of the National Directorate of Monumental Heritage (DNPM) and the Cultural Heritage and Historic Centre Directorate (DPCH) is foreseen;
• Revision of the Law for Protection, Safeguarding and Development of Cultural Heritage of the Dominican Republic is ongoing;
• Carrying capacity studies for the historic centre have been undertaken;
• The certification process under the TourCert programme as a sustainable tourism destination with a focus on biodiversity was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed in 2021 within the Ministry of Tourism;
• The preparation of a Minor Boundary Modification is ongoing but it is awaiting the conclusion of the regulations for the buffer zone in the Municipality of East Santo Domingo;
• The Hotel Frances which collapsed in 2015 has been rebuilt. The outer masonry walls have the same thickness as original structure but contemporary construction methods and materials were used. The walls are plastered both inside and outside. The main entrance portal was re-erected using the stone that was recuperated from the rubble in a reconstruction technique known as anastylosis;
• While awaiting the implementation of a broadly agreed vision on the use of the ruins of San Francisco, it was necessary to undertake temporary stabilization of the ruins. This intervention was approved in September 2021 and documentation sent to the World Heritage Centre in January 2022. Works started the same year but were temporarily halted due to the cancelation of the contract with the construction company;
• Works at the Santa Barbara Church started in 2017 with clearing of vegetation and redirection of groundwater flows followed by structural consolidation and restoration. An amphitheatre was built at the back of the church;
• In October 2022, a workshop was held between the DNPM and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) to strengthen capacities in the identification, management and prevention of risks at heritage sites. The Disaster Risk Management Plan is being developed within the framework of the programme financed by the IDB;
• A Medical Emergency Plan is being implemented;
• An Action Plan 2022-2023 for the recuperation of a number of historical monuments (including the Alcazár de Colon and the Puerta de la Misericordia), several streets and fifteen facades is in preparation. A separate report details the activities undertaken in the period 2019-2022 by the ADN.

In June 2022, ICOMOS undertook a Technical Review of the PIDTUCCSD. It considered that the programme is comprehensive with an appropriate management structure and that improvement of living conditions and the local economy will contribute to the sustainability of the property, provided that the design and execution of the projects take into account the conservation of the integrity and authenticity of the attributes that support the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property as well as all aspects covered in the previous decisions of the Committee.

The joint management of the programme between the MITUR, the MINC and the ADN as well as the strengthening of the DNPM and the DPCH should be recognised as great advances in the appropriate management of the historic centre and its conservation programmes.

The continuous delays in the revision of the Law for Protection, Safeguarding and Development of Cultural Heritage, as well as the submission of the Minor Boundary Modification to include the buffer zone of the World Heritage property remain of extreme concern. The State Party should be requested to give these matters the highest possible priority.

The progression of the certification process for the Colonial City as a sustainable tourism destination and studies on its carrying capacity is welcomed. It is noted that a capacity building workshop was held in October 2022 on the formulation of a Risk and Disaster Management Plan. The development and implementation of a Medical Emergency Plan is highly appreciated.

Note is taken of the report on the reconstruction of the Hotel Frances that was executed following recommendations issued in 2015 by a high-level working group. The reconstruction of the stone portal at the entrance and the respect for the spatial characteristics of the building as it was restored in 1992 are welcomed. It is regretted, however, that the final project proposal in which contemporary building materials were used for the reconstruction of exterior walls, was not submitted in due time for review and advice by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies. A similar situation concerns the intervention at the Santa Barbara Church which is reported to have started in 2018 and is now concluded. The document and images that are included in the State Party report are insufficient for a review of the restoration project. The exterior and aerial photographs show circular patterns in the pavement that may perhaps not be appropriate in the historic setting of the church. Both cases highlight the previous request by the Committee, for additional information be provided regarding the conservation methods used in historic buildings within the property.

At the Convent of San Francisco, a stabilization project was initiated that mainly consists of wooden beams with minimal impact on the stone structures and pavements.

The delicate state of some of the monumental structures in the historic centre is emphasised by the collapse of a wall and part of the Sun Clock on the Puerta de la Misericordia. The restoration of the latter is scheduled to start in January 2023.