Initiative to transform spaces proposes urban improvement in the country

 Do you have an idea of ​​how to change the environment in the urban spaces of the city, the neighborhood, or terms of work or business?

For those interested in contributing to citizen urban planning and the improvement of public and private services, such as with the presentation of an idea or proposal that allows allocating space for parking in an office, the Acceleration Laboratory of the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP) and the National Business Support Network for Environmental Protection (ECORED) presented an initiative aligned with the 2030 SDGs (Millennium Development Goals) that facilitates participation in an open competition from December 15, 2020, to this 26 of February.

The idea is that the interested parties, landscapers, engineers, architects, designers, urban artists, and the general public present innovative proposals that guarantee a safe return to adapt them to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic through the initiative “Espacios del Future.” The winners of each of the industry’s four categories will be awarded RD $ 250,000 each, tax-free, María Alicia Urbaneja, executive director of ECORED, explained in an interview Listín Diario; and Nathaly Uribe, in charge of sustainability at ECORED.

The project is supported by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) / ​​WHO (World Health Organization), UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), and other private and academic actors.

The initiative’s approach, geared towards the new normal, encompasses sustainability, collaboration, inclusion, and resilience and presents extensive details on its web portal: www.espaciosfuturos.com

Innovative ideas not only seek to transform the city but all recreational and cultural spaces through urban reorganization.

“It is about that when we all return; it is safe because it will not be the same as what we had,” Urbaneja explained, noting that people will be able to present ideas applicable to each category.

Categories

The four categories are urban mobility (public-private); sustainable; recreational and cultural public spaces (sidewalks, parks, national parks), workspaces and commercial spaces (bars, restaurants, cinemas), indicated Nathaly Uribe when specifying that social cohesion is needed, in the face of an economic reactivation.

As part of the initiative, the UNDP Acceleration Laboratory and ECORED carry out a series of informative and motivating workshops that serve as tools for those interested, according to the categories. The first was carried out with urban mobility and recreational and cultural public spaces, and one was also carried out on commercial areas and workspaces.

OPINIONS

Work

To carry out the project “Spaces of the Future,” we are working with the architecture school and with the society of architects of the Dominican Republic, in addition to an approach with the municipalities to obtain quality proposals, said Urbaneja.

Coverage

Although it has an urban focus, it “also considers rural areas, not only Santo Domingo, but also spaces where there is greater overcrowding,” said Uribe.