The Dominican Republic has been consistently ranked among the countries with the highest natural disaster risk in the western hemisphere. At the same time, the current physical infrastructure that provides basic services, such as power, water and internet to residents of the Dominican Republic is severely strained. As the Dominican Republic experiences increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather, with disastrous human and economic consequences, there is an urgent need for novel and practical solutions to build sustainable and resilient communities.

The Building Climate Resilient Communities in the Dominican Republic project, led by a multidisciplinary team from Columbia University, Dominican academic institutions, local government, and civil society partners, was launched in November 2021 to address the growing vulnerability of urban communities to natural disasters and extreme weather. Focusing initially on the Cristo Rey neighborhood in Santo Domingo—a densely populated area facing persistent climate and health risks—the project aimed to develop a scalable model for community resilience centers that could strengthen local capacity through education, health services, emergency preparedness, and post-disaster recovery. The effort integrated physical and social infrastructure assessments, policy analysis, and extensive stakeholder engagement to produce a comprehensive blueprint that could guide implementation in Cristo Rey and other communities across the country.

Over two phases, the initiative progressed from a conceptual approach to a practical strategy. Phase one (2021–2023) generated a detailed design plan for the resilience center, informed by research, site evaluations, and collaboration with community groups and government leaders. Phase two (2024–2025) shifted toward operationalization, including community climate and health training, stakeholder engagement, and the integration of the strategy into national government policies and programs. Despite challenges, the initiative gained broad support from the national government, including the President’s Office, the Administrative Ministry of the President, and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. These partnerships opened pathways for piloting resilience centers in additional communities.

The project produced several important outputs and outcomes:

Stakeholder engagement. The team engaged a wide range of stakeholders essential to the project’s design, implementation, and long-term viability, including government agencies, private sector representatives, community organizations, churches, health providers, and experts from the Dominican Republic and the United States.

Resilience center blueprint. A detailed design and implementation guide was created and disseminated, offering a replicable model for resilience centers in Santo Domingo and beyond. (See below)

Community capacity building. A climate and disaster health training program—including a train-the-trainer component—prepared nine health providers to deliver ongoing trainings and improved climate-health literacy among more than 120 youth, women, and local leaders in Cristo Rey and surrounding areas.

Program integration and sustainability. Efforts to embed the initiative within national systems resulted in a formal commitment by the federal government to integrate resilience center programming into the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

As a model of interdisciplinary and international collaboration, this project demonstrates the potential for academic institutions and local partners to co-create scalable, community-driven solutions to global climate challenges. With strong foundations in place, it is well positioned to expand its impact across the Dominican Republic and the broader Caribbean.

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Partners:

• Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC)
• Office of the Mayor of Santo Domingo (Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional de Santo Domingo [ADN])
• Centro de Operaciones de Emergencias (COE)
• American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR)
• Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE)