Santiago, Dominican Republic – A landmark multi-stakeholder agreement aimed at redefining the future of urban growth in one of the country’s most dynamic cities is set to be signed next year, bringing together public agencies, private enterprises, academic leaders, and community groups around a shared vision of long-term sustainable development.
The “Pact for a Better City” will be officially signed on June 5, 2026, at the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) in Santiago. The signing ceremony will also mark the formal launch of the landmark “Santiago Living City 2035” initiative, a 12-year planning project designed to guide intentional, inclusive growth for Santiago and its surrounding metropolitan area.
Organized under the leadership of the Cibao Housing Developers and Builders Association (APROCOVIC), the initiative draws widespread institutional support from key local and national bodies. Backing partners include Santiago City Hall, host university PUCMM, the Santiago Strategic Development Council (CDES), the Vice Ministry of Territorial Planning and Regional Development, and major Dominican financial institutions. This broad coalition of partners reflects a collective recognition that uncoordinated urban growth poses long-term risks to the city’s economic and social vitality, and that cross-sector collaboration is critical to delivering lasting results.
Per details released by the initiative’s organizing committee, the pact will serve as the foundational framework for a comprehensive, city-wide Urban Development Plan that targets high-priority areas for improvement. Key focus areas include expanding and modernizing public and private mobility infrastructure, upgrading core public utilities, advancing environmental protection and climate resilience, managing equitable urban expansion, and raising overall quality of life for all residents of the Santiago metropolitan area.
Beyond infrastructure and planning targets, the initiative also seeks to institutionalize formal long-term planning processes that will outlast changes in political leadership. This institutional commitment is designed to ensure policy continuity and consistent, effective implementation of the plan’s goals through 2035, preventing the disruptions that often derail long-term public projects when administrations change.
The upcoming launch event will feature deep dives into the initiative’s operational structure. Specialists from CAP Consultores & Asesores Profesionales will present the technical planning framework that underpins the comprehensive development plan, while Daritza Nicodemo will detail the mandate and responsibilities of the new Technical Monitoring Unit. This unit will be tasked with ongoing oversight of all commitments outlined in the inter-sector pact, ensuring that all stakeholders hold to their agreed roles and responsibilities.
Organizers confirmed that attendance at the launch will include a broad cross-section of Santiago’s leadership, from sitting municipal officials and leading business executives to academic researchers and grassroots community stakeholders. The event is expected to set the stage for the first phase of planning work, which will begin immediately after the pact is signed.