Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Home , 24 de Abril, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo Province

George McQueen Community & Regional Planning—School of Architecture Latin American Studies—Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies University of Texas at Austin

CRP 386 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems December 14, 2009 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Many government institutions in the Global South typically lack capacity to effectively use geospatial data for urban governance, including the ability to develop effective means to improve living conditions in informal settlements. The marginalized communities along the Ozama and Isablela Rivers in Distrio Nacional, Dominican Republic have been surveyed and studied regularly for the past 50 years. The communities and governing bodies are keenly aware of the environmental risks and social vulnerabilities of this area, but there appears to be little continuity between surveys and organizations. Surveys and maps become property of the sponsoring organization and each new effort to understand and address the environmental and social concerns requires the creation of new methodologies, new spatial references and the gathering of new data. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be a powerful tool to help improve communication and understanding among communities and government institutions. GIS can provide spatial and statistical information that can be communicated visually.

This project will (1) review, categorize, document and prepare geospatial data provided by public institutions in the Dominican Republic, and (2) prepare supporting documentation of the data for use by public officials, technicians, and scholars working in Santo Domingo. Finally (3), this project will conduct a remote risk and vulnerability assessment of the Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, to demonstrate how GIS can be used to identify areas that are at risk of environmental hazards and vulnerable to a variety of social conditions. This will constitute an initial assessment, resulting in a recommendation for how geospatial data may be collected and used for further, more in- depthe assessments of living conditions in the Distrito Nacional. This information may guide public works departments in prioritizing infrastructure improvement or municipalities in deciding where to site public services, such as community centers and health clinics. The assessment will also provide a model for future training of technicians and show the opportunities of GIS for the improvement of informal settlements in Santo Domingo and elsewhere in the Dominican Republic.

2 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

INTRODUCTION

As the largest city and the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo also has the highest population density. In a country of 8.5 million in 2002 (almost exactly 50 percent female, 50 percent male), 1.8 million live in the Santo Domingo Province, of which just over 900,000 live in the Distrito Nacional. Of the 48,442 square kilometers of the Dominican Republic, about 1/5th of the country's population lives in area of just 92 square kilometers of the Distrito Nacional. In other words, 21% of the population lives in .01% of the country. (ADN)

While the population of the Dominican Republic continues to grow, there is also a shift in the countrywide population to the urban centers. (CONAU) Opportunities for jobs, education, services are all located in the cities; therefore there is a natural tendency for people living in rural communities to migrate towards these opportunities. As cities become more dense, the availability of these opportunities becomes more competitive, which is a disadvantaged to the most vulnerable community members. Housing opportunities also become more scarce, especially affordable housing, therefore people will settle where they can, even in areas that are hazardous, putting their well being at risk. (Navarro) As troubling as this is, this is a reality that affects most large cities, especially in Latin America. The Distrito Nacional is not an exception to the problems affecting large cities developing nations.

Since the 1960s, the governing institutions have been trying to address the problems of of social and environmental inequality. Some efforts have been more successful than others, and the Distrito Nacional experienced its own form of “urban renewal” in the 60s and 70s. (Chantada) …

One area of continued concern and attention has been the land along the shores of the Ozama and Isabela rivers (see Figure 1). While the northern and eastern political boundaries of the Distrito Nacional are defined by these two rivers, so are many of the social and environmental conditions of the poor. These two large rivers converge just before reaching the Caribbean Sea. Sited at the confluence of three bodies of water, the Distrito Nacional has been a strategic location—militarily and economically—for centuries. However, this location also poses many unique environmental risks to the ever increasing population. (CONAU)

In the mid 1990s, the municipality of the Distrito Nacional identified key areas of risk along the Isabela and Ozama Rivers with a project was called RESURE (“La Reestructuración Social, Urbana, y Ecológica de los Barrios Marginados que Rodean los Rios Ozama e Isabela;” translated: “The Social, Urban and Ecological Restructuring of the Marginalized Neighborhoods along the Ozama and Isablea Rivers”). This project proposed engaging the marginalized communities along the rivers to help improve the infrastructure and create “autoconstrucción”—self help. (RESURE) The project also proposed the creation of a greenbelt along the river shore. This proposed relocating families found in areas of high risk and designating these areas as protected zones, which would allow for a contiguous green belt along the river. While intentions, actions and

3 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

results of RESURE (and RESURE II) are not in question, the methodology for the initial assessment remains unclear.

Other similar efforts have been made to either improve conditions for or move people from these areas of highest risk, particularly in the neighborhoods of La Zurza and La Ciénega. These neighborhoods are among the poorest and located in the areas most susceptible to natural hazards in the Distrito Nacional.(RESURE) Other neighborhoods that are equally poor, with similar environmental hazards are Gualey, Puerto Isabela, Escanche Capotillo, Simón Bolivar, 24 de Abril, and Domingo Salvo. These neighborhoods represent a contiguous belt along the southwestern shores of the Isabel and Ozama Rivers. Another defining feature of these neighborhoods is the canyon, or the “cañada.” The cañada is the natural watershed drainage and is typically unsuitable for development, (Sletto) which is why the poorest people settle there—albeit illegally— because it is the only available land. Each of these neighborhood has a cañada, which is a continuous source of health and environmental risk.

Following previous research and anticipating further investigation, this analysis will demonstrate how government officials can use census data and geographic information systems (GIS) shapefiles to anticipate and prevent certain social, economic and environmental crises.

This analysis, however, does have very clear limitations. First, much of the data used for this project is over 10 years old and the conditions and infrastructure have likely changed. The accuracy of the original data is not known, therefore the accuracy of this assessment is limited. Second, much of the data had to be transferred from computer animated design (CAD) drawing files (.dwg) to GIS shapefiles (.shp). This creates additional opportunity for human error. Third, because this assessment was conducted remotely, and the author has not been to the study site, this is primarily a visual exercise in the possible uses of GIS.

4 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Individual departments within governmental institutions gather and create information on the community and constituency they serve and represent. However, it is not uncommon for departments to be unable or unwilling to share this information. Cities in Latin America are not an exception, particularly the Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic. Urban planners in Latin America have been traditionally educated as architects and use the tools of architects to document, represent and analyze space. Computer animated design is a common tools for Latin American planners/architects to create maps and plans. But as departmental budgets are constrained, so are the faculties to produce and use these maps and plans.

In the Distrito Nacional, the marginalized communities along the Ozama and Isablela Rivers in Distrio Nacional, Dominican Republic have been surveyed and studied regularly for the past 50 years. The governing bodies are very aware of the environmental risks and social vulnerabilities of this area, but there appears to be little continuity between surveys and organizations. There also seems to be a limited capacity to represent these conditions.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be an effective tool that could help streamline the process of information creation and sharing. Instead of re-creating drawings, shapes can be shared and perfected and data can be stored in the attributes. GIS can help governmental institutions develop effective means to more quickly and accurately understand conditions, and create reports to represent this understanding.

It is my hypothesis that the areas most socially vulnerable and at risk to environmental conditions can be identified through a cursory risk and vulnerability assessment, conducted remotely and with only spatial data.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1) What are the principal environmental risks and vulnerability criteria in informal settlements in Santo Domingo?

2) Where are the locations of informal settlements in Santo Domingo? (Based on RESURE)

3) Where are the areas of greatest risk within informal settlements in the Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo? (With available data, this will be based on the proximity to: the river, cañadas, floodplains, steel slopes and uneven soil)

4) What are the most vulnerable areas? ((With available data, this will be based on the distance from: education facilities, health clinics, police stations, markets and transit routes))

5 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

METHODOLOGY

Since this project is multi-layered, the methodology will be divided into the three parts mentioned in the executive summary: (1) understand and prepare data, (2) document the process of converting data from drawings to shapefiles, and (3) conduct a remote risk and vulnerability assessment

Part 1 I acquired approximately six gigabytes of data on the Dominican Republic from Dr. Bjørn Sletto, professor of Community and Region Planning in the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. Government officials in the Distrito Nacional have shared spatial and census information with Dr.Sletto’s because of his continued work in the Domincan Republic.

I used ArcCatalog to open, preview and document the data. Most the data is defined and projected using "WGS 1984 UTM Zone 19N" as the projected coordinate system and "GCS WGS 1984" as the geographic coordinate system, but reviewing the shapefiles in ArcCatalog, some data will have to be defined and projected.

Part 2 After understanding and organizing all the data, I realized most of the GIS data was of at the country-wide scale and I was hoping to work at the neighborhood scale. This was four levels of data removed from what I needed (The data is organized by Country, Province, Section, Municipality, Neighborhood, Block). Fortunately, there were many CAD drawing files that had neighborhood-level information. Unfortunately, it all had to be exported into GIS, defined, projected, georeferenced and resized to fit the proper scale. This process was documented in the Appendix and will hopefully be of future use.

Part 3 I used the layers and shapes created in Part 2 to run a suitability assessment using GIS. Using ArcMap, ArcScene and other ArcGIS analytical tools (i.e. spatial analyst) I created a series of layouts that, if nothing more, give a visual description of the process of using GIS for a risk and vulnerability assessment (also represented in Figure 22). Adapting a methodology from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA), assessed the risk and vulnerability of a specific site in the Distrito Nacional based social vulnerability and environmental risk. Given the limitation of the data, I defined social vulnerability as distance from public facilities including: education facilities, police stations, markets, public transportation and health centers. The environmental risk was defined by the proximity to environmental hazards, such as the rivers, cañadas, steep slopes, uneven surfaces and floodplains. The final product was these two assessments combined, which demonstrates the areas must vulnerable and at highest risk (see figures 17, 19 and 21 for representations of the final assessment. Figure 22 shows the process).

6 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

FINDINGS

Series of Layouts:

Fig. 1.1 Context within the Caribbean Fig. 1.2 Context within the Dominican Republic Fig. 1.3 Context within Santo Domingo Fig. 2 Percent of population in poverty in study area Fig. 3 Focus area for assessment: Over 40% poverty Fig. 4 Layers created from CAD files Fig. 5 Environmental risk: proximity to river Fig. 6 Environmental risk: proximity to a cañada Fig. 7 Environmental risk: proximity to a floodplain Fig. 8 Environmental risk: proximity to an uneven surface Fig. 9 Environmental risk: proximity to a steep slope Fig. 10 Areas most at risk because of environmental conditions Fig. 11 Social vulnerability: distance from education facilities Fig. 12 Social vulnerability: distance from health center Fig. 13 Social vulnerability: distance from markets Fig. 13 Social vulnerability: distance from police stations Fig. 14 Social vulnerability: distance from public transportation Fig. 15 Ares most vulnerable because of social conditions Fig. 16 Both assessments combined: Areas most vulnerable and at risk Fig. 17 Digital elevation model of study area Fig. 18 Risk and vulnerability in relation to topography Fig. 19 3D image of study area, facing west Fig. 20 3D image of area with highest risk and most vulnerability Fig. 21 Steps of a risk and vulnerability assessment using GIS

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8 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 2 9 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 3 10 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 4 11 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 5 12 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 6 13 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 7 14 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 8 15 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 9 16 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 10 17 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 11 18 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 12 19 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 13 20 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 14 21 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 15 22 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 16 23 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 17 24 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 18 25 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 19 26 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 20 27 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 21 28 George McQueen–CRP386Fall2009 Risk andVulnerabilityAssessmentofDistritoNacional,SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublic 22 29 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

ANALYSIS

The purpose, implications and limitations of each layout will be discussed independently.

Fig. 1.1 Context within the Caribbean This layout is an effort to orient the view to the scope of the study area. The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The island is not far from Columbia, Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the United Stats

Fig. 1.2 Context within the Dominican Republic There Dominican Republic consists of 31 provinces, of which Distrito Nacional is one municipality inside a single province.

Fig. 1.3 Context within Santo Domingo Distrito Nacional is a municipality within the province of Santo Domingo. There are several other cities within the Santo Domingo Province, including Santo Domingo Oeste, Este and Norte. There are about 100 neighborhoods within the Distrito Nacional. However, because there are different categories of “sub” neighborhoods, census and spatial data do not show the same number of neighborhoods. The study area is limited to 11 neighborhoods in the eastern part of Distrito Nacional. At the top of the study area, the Isabela and Ozama Rivers converge before they empty to the Caribbean Sea.

Fig. 2 Percent of population in poverty in study area Based on a CAD map from the RESURE project, this map shows the concentration of poverty along the rivers. This data was gathered in 1993 and published in 1998.

Fig. 3 Focus area for assessment: Over 40% poverty Since poverty levels are the highest indicator of vulnerability, the study area will focus only on those neighborhoods with poverty levels above 40%. This limits the study area to neighborhoods along the rivers, which are also the most at risk of environmental hazards, such as floods and solid waste.

Fig. 4 Layers created from CAD files Based on CAD maps from the RESURE project, each one of these shapes was extracted from a drawing and imported into layer of its own. The limitation of this map is the features were either polygons or lines, therefore the symbology is difficult to interpret. With more time these features could have been converted into points so the legend can have the same shapes as the features.

Fig. 5 Environmental risk: proximity to river After the distance from the river was measured and a raster was created, the raster was reclassified and given a color scale to represent the areas of highest risk. For the purpose of this exercise, and visual consistency, every analysis run with the spatial analyst was at 1000 meters. There is no reason other than visual communication for this number.

30 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

Fig. 6 Environmental risk: proximity to a cañada Cañadas are both a physical and social term in the Dominican Republic. Translated literally to mean “canyon,” the cañada is also the place where the most informal housing is found. “Cañada” also means slum.

Fig. 7 Environmental risk: proximity to a floodplain Because of the two large rivers in the area, there are parts of the soil that are prone flooding. However, people still build on these areas and are at high risk.

Fig. 8 Environmental risk: proximity to an uneven surface This layer, also taken from the RESURE maps, is a rough translation of “tierra accidnentado,” which roughly translates to “uneven land.” Not knowing the exact nature of this definition creates a limitation on the importance of this layer.

Fig. 9 Environmental risk: proximity to a steep slope The limitation of this map is the exact pitch of the slope is not known. However, the slopes do correspond with the slopes in the digital elevation model (see Figure 17).

Fig. 10 Areas most at risk because of environmental conditions When all the distances were calculated and reclassified, they were then combined using the raster calculator to determine the areas that are most at risk because of natural physical conditions.

Fig. 11 Social vulnerability: distance from education facilities The distance from the education facility was calculated and reclassified at 1000 meters (each colored ring represents 100 meters). However, the limitation of this layout and the following “vulnerability” layouts is the exact use is not known. For example, it is not known what type of education facility this features represent.

Fig. 12 Social vulnerability: distance from health center There are several health centers, clinics perhaps, in these neighborhoods. But what kind of clinics there are is not known. This layer also does not reflect the fact that there is a very large hospital in the Eschanche Luperon neighborhood, which is in the center of the study area (but no along the river).

Fig. 13 Social vulnerability: distance from markets This layer is also limited because the exact nature of the “market” is not known.

Fig. 13 Social vulnerability: distance from police stations For purposes of this exercise, the police station is considered a social benefit. Though I am not sure of the political tension and power struggles in the Distrito Nacional, which could make these a risk to the community if the police are corrupt.

Fig. 14 Social vulnerability: distance from public transportation It is not known if these are all the transportation routes, or if they are still in existence. A major change that is not reflected in these maps is the installation of a metro-rail that goes

31 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

along and under Avenida Maximo Gomez all the way to Santo Domingo Norte. Depending on the location of the new stops, this could increase access to many marginalize communities.

Fig. 15 Ares most vulnerable because of social conditions When all the distances were calculated and reclassified, they were then combined using the raster calculator to determine the areas that are most vulnerable because of their distance from public facilities. This is a very limited assessment and with the correct data a more accurate vulnerability assessment would include more detailed socio-ecconomic and demographic information.

Fig. 16 Both assessments combined: Areas most vulnerable and at risk As demonstrated in Figure 21, this image represents the risk and vulnerability assessments combined. They were given equal weight and combined with the raster calculator. The areas that are at highest risk are the low laying areas in the floodplain and along the steepest slopes. The lease vulnerable areas are long the major transit corridors and higher elevations.

Fig. 17 Digital elevation model of study area This shows the general topography of the study area; the darker the cell, the steeper the incline.

Fig. 18 Risk and vulnerability in relation to topography Overlaying the risk and vulnerability analysis with the digital elevation model (DEM) shows that the risk and vulnerability assessment corresponds with the physical topography.

Fig. 19 3D image of study area, facing west Fig. 20 3D image of area with highest risk and most vulnerability

Fig. 21 Steps of a risk and vulnerability assessment using GIS This figure is a visual to convey, in a very basic way, the process of creating the risk and vulnerability assessment. After the distances were measured with the spatial analyst, and reclassified, the raster calculator tool was used to combine the layers with the following weights. The given weights are arbitrary and the same assessment was run with all at equal weights and there was not much visual difference.

Risk assessment: Cañadas 10%; Rio Isabela 10%; Floodplain 25%; Uneven ground 20%; Steep slope 35%

Vulnerability assessment: Transporte 15%; Market 10%; Educacion 25%; Policia 20%; Salud 30%

Risk and vulnerability assessment combined: Risk 50%; Vulnerability 50%

32 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

CONCLUSION

My conclusion is two succinct parts: (1) a conclusion about the process of converting data from computer animated design drawing files to geographic information systems shapefiles, and (2) a conclusion about the results of the risk and vulnerability assessment.

Part 1 The strength of GIS is also its greatest weakness: the availability of data. This project was more a lesson in data management and manipulation than actual results. The most valuable part of this project was learning how to use tools and techniques we learned in class, but in different ways. The process of importing, georeferencing and resizing all the layers was laborious, but it emphasized GIS’s flexibility, when one understands the possibilities. This also is a cautionary example of how data can be manipulated, whether intentional or unintentional. Since cannot guarantee the accuracy of the original CAD files, I certainly cannot guarantee the accuracy of the newly created shapefiles. If nothing more, the methodology might serve as a how-to when one has unreferenced spatial data, whether raster or vector, and would like to import it into a GIS shapefile. However, the accuracy of the newly created shapefile is only as good as the data it came from.

Part 2

By using CAD drawing files I was able to show how a variety of basic social and environmental factors can be analyzed to assess risk and vulnerability in the Distrio Nacional. Governmental institutions can benefit from collecting and creating data using GIS because it is not only easy to create maps, but it is easy to transfer and improve data. Located at the confluence of two large rivers and on the shores of an island nation, and with a population approaching one-million, the Distrito Nacional of the Domincan Republic embodies many unique social and environmental conditions that make understanding, assessing and addressing the needs of the community a challenge.

While there are many limitations to this particular assessment, it does serve as a model for how future risk and vulnerability assessments may be approached, particularly with more extensive data.

33 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

REFERENCES

Atlas Barrial del Distrito Nacional; Circunscripsción No.3, Ribera Isabela-Ozama, Dirección General de Planeamiento Urbano, Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional, 2006

ADN. Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional, República Dominicana

Chantada, Amparo. 1996. "Medio ambiente, crisis y desarrollo: reflexiones en torno a los Ríos Ozama e Isabela." In Antología Urbana de la Ciudad Alternativa.

CONAU. 2007. GEO Santo Domingo: Perspectiva del Medio Ambiente Urbano. Santo Domingo: Consejo Nacional de Asuntos Urbanos.

Navarro, Andrés and Ayacx Mercedes. 1996. "Organizaciones barriales, mejoramiento urbano y desarrollo de la ciudad." In Antología Urbana de la Ciudad Alternativa.

Navarro, Andrés. 2004. " Introducción," in Plan Cigua: Plan de desarrollo para La Ciénaga y Los Guandules.

Navarro, Andrés. 1996. "Desarrollo urbano en República Dominicana: preocupaciones y expectativas."

Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses, Santo Domingo, República Dominicana http <://www.omsa.gob.do/ >

Pelling, Mark. 2002. "Assessing urban vulnerability and social adaptation to risk: Evidence from Santo Domingo." International Development Planning Review. Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Tool (RVAT). NOAA Coastal Services Center.

RESURE. 1998. Plan Director, “Plan de Accion Cooridnada Interinstitucional para la Reestructuración Social, Urbana, y Ecológica de los Barrios Marginados que Rodean los Rios Ozama e Isabela.” Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional

Sletto, Bjorn. 2007. Diagnóstico participativo sobre las causas, riesgos y consecuencias de las inundaciones en la cañada Los Platanitos, Municipio Santo Domingo Norte. The University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture, Center for Sustainable Development.

Yunén, Rafael Emilio. 1992. "La ciudad del presente." In La Ciudad en el Tiempo, pp. 72-101. Santo Domingo: Ciudad Alternativa.

34 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

APPENDIX

35 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

APPENDINDIX

This is a valuable lesson in working with data from Latin America because there are many more architects and engineers than there are planners or demographers. If anything, I have learned in detail how attributes and shapes work together in GIS. Otherwise we could just use AutoCAD.

Need to convert polygon to points.

DATA SOURCES Census 2002 Oficina Nacional de Estadística, Secretariado Técnico de la Presidencia, República Dominicana GIS Shapefiles Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional (collected by Dr. Sletto)

Caveat: Most the data is defined and projected using "WGS 1984 UTM Zone 19N" as the projected coordinate system and "GCS WGS 1984" as the geographic coordinate system, but reviewing the shapefiles in ArcCatalog, some data will have to be defined and projected.

Got world map from ESRI Ensured Map from ESRI is projected Resized and clipped to new layer to Caribbean extent and exported to save memory

Projected Coordinate System: WGS_1984_UTM_Zone_19N Geographic Coordinate System: GCS_WGS_1984

Separated Haiti from Hispanola. Muted color (Haiti is for geographical reference only)

Created Major Roads file : "NOMBRE" = 'AVENIDA HNAS. MIRABAL' OR "NOMBRE" = 'AVENIDA JHON F. KENNEDY' OR "NOMBRE" = 'AVENIDA MAXIMO GOMEZ' OR "NOMBRE" = 'AVENIDA ABRAHAN LINCOLN' OR "NOMBRE" = 'PADRE CASTELLANOS' OR "NOMBRE" = 'AVENIDA EXPRESO V CENTENARIO' OR "NOMBRE" = '27 DE FEBRERO' OR "NOMBRE" = 'PARIS' OR "NOMBRE" = 'AVENIDA LAS AMERICAS' OR "NOMBRE" = ‘AVENIDA LUPERON’ OR "NOMBRE" = 'AUTOPISTA DUARTE' OR "NOMBRE" = 'SAN VICENTE DE PAUL'

How to convert CAD drawing file to GIS layer (dwg to lyr) http://cadtogis.blogspot.com/2008/01/simple-autocad-to-arcgis-92-guide-dwg.html http://forums.esri.com/Thread.asp?c=93&f=1149&t=192322

Create a new polygon from CAD .dwg (i.e. Importing from CAD) In ArcCatalog Open Toolbox: - Search “CAD” - Double-click “Import from CAD” - Input .dwg you want to use (Ex: “pobreza” “suelos”)

36 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

- Output to preferred file - Defined spatial reference to others - “OK”

Suelos > Create layer - In ArcCatalog, click on Suelos .dwg, right click on “Suelos.dwg” > select “create layer” > chose location > open in ArcMap (Georeference later, when moving shapes)

#Create new layer from CAD .dwg In ArcCatalog - Click on .dwg file in table of contents so all layers display - In “preview” see which layer is desirable (usually polygon and annotation) - Right click and “Export” - Export “to shapefile (single)” - This layer can be georeferenced if you want to create new polygons/lines/points by “tracing” - This layer is good for viewing and referencing imported shapefiles from .dwg in ArcMap.

In ArcMap - Add data > select newly created polygon - View > Toobars > Georeferencing > Choose layer) - Georeferencing: - In table of contents, right click layer that accurate, select “zoom to layer” o In this view, select “Georeferencing” > “fit to display” o Add anchor points.

Create features from AutoCAD - with “sub-barrios 7” underneath AutoCAD layers, set “sub-barrios 7” as the only selectable layer. - Select barrios corresponding to hatching (Pobreza: 50-100%, 40-50%, - Export to new layer (save as “Pobreza_??-??_porciento.shp”) - In ArcCatalog, copy shape and save as “Pobreza_??-??_porciento_modified”.shp - Using Editor tool, modify layers (barrios) to match CAD drawings (only a few need some minor changes.

Add “Pobreza” field in attribute table to each “barrio” of each layer - Open attribute table > Options > Add field… > name: “Pobreza” > type: “long integer” > “100” precision > “ok” - Start editor > select target layer > enter “data” under “pobreza” field (Ex: “100” in all cells of “Pobreza_50-100_porciento_modified”, “50” for “Pobreza_40-50..”)

Merge Layers - Input Datasets (all “Pobreza_...” layers) - Output layer “Pobreza_five_merged”

37 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

Display - Select “Pobreza_five_merged” > properties > symbology > show, quantities > fields: values “pobreza”, normailization “none”

Terreno: (after all selected: data > export > new layer) Accidentado - Select by attribute "EntID" > 10867 AND "EntID" < 11039 - Add to current selection "EntID" > 9413 AND "EntID" < 10229 Inundable - Select by attribute "EntID" > 11038 AND "EntID" < 11271 - Add to current selection "EntID" > 10220 AND "EntID" < 10320 - Add to current selection "EntID" = 1 - Add to current selection "EntID" = 27333 - Revove from current selection "EntID" = 11259 Regular - Select by attribute "EntID" > 10319 AND "EntID" < 10531

Add new field into each “terreno…” layer called “Ter_tipo”> add corresponding names into column (i.e. “inundable”, “accidentado”, “regular” (After adding new field, start editor and replace all blank cells using “options” > “find and replace” > “replace all”

Merge “Accidentado”, “Inundable”, “Regular” into one shapefile - Toolbox > merge >

Display unique values - “terreno_merge” properties > symbology > categories > unique values > value_field = “ter_tipo”

Create Rio Isabela shape: (done … need to describe process … somehow got it from “pobreza”) - … add “Rio Isabela”

Convert “Transporte” Files (looks like it has ca#adas) (Maybe “Vial” is better) (Converted …Not able to use the above )

Convert “Equipamento Comunitario” - Import from CAD > input/output/define/ > OK > - Open Geodatabase in ArcMap > add line, add points - Using ArcMap, select a point in the .dwg “legend” and open attribute table, view only “selected” note EID - In ArcCatalog open “TxProp” in Priview mode and find that EID and note properties: (Centro de Acogida, Salud, Iglesia, Puesto Fijo de INSPIRE, Comedor Economico, Deporte/Club, Policia, Educacion, Mercado) - Find shape in .dwg map an select like shapes, export to new layer (repeat for each shape in legend

38 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

In ArcCatalog, right click Equipamento… .polygon. (same as above, see #)

http://www.inespre.gov.do/

- Export “to shapefile (single)” - featured class is previously made Equipamento…gdb - In ArcCatalog, right click Equipamento …annotation

In ArcMap select features and create new layers (salud, policia, escuela, igelsia … ect)

Edit attributes table - Added description to each “tipo” field depending on layer

Merge Layers - Add all layers (it is possible to ctrl+select all of them and drag them over to “Input Datasets” field - Output Dataset in desired folder; called “Equipamento_Merge” - In “Field Map (optional)” it is possible to remove all fields that you don’t want/need, I reduced it down to five from the 25 that I started with - OK - Layers are added to table of contents, double click on “Equipamento_Merge” for properties > symbology > category > unique values > value field “tipo” > select “add all values” > choose color palate of choice > ok

Separate Canhada from shapes since these circles are only map labels, no actual places on in the area. - Set “equipamento_merge” as only selectable layer > open attributes table > under “tipo” select all rows that have are labeled “canada” > right click layer > select “data” > select “export data” and create a new layer called “Canada Labels” in the “CAD to GIS folder.” Add layer to map and group with “canada” polyline. - And/Or- - Open “equipamento_merge” properties > symbology > select “Canada” in window and select “remove…” (This will remove “canadas” from being displayed with the “equimpamento_merge” layer.)

Add fields and attributes to “Canada labels” layer - Each label has a corresponding name and number in a drawing file, - Open “Canada labels” attribute table > select “options” > select “Add Field…” and make two new fields “Nombre” for the canhada name and “Numero” for the canhada number. (from Equipamentos “annotation” drawing layer as viewed in ArcCatalog) 1 Cañada de la Muerte/Sta. Clara 2 Cañada de los Dulceros 3 Cañada de los Multifamiliares 4 Cañada de los Tres Cruces

39 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

5 Cañada del Amdem 6 Cañada del Diablo 7 Cañada Simón Bolivar/Las Cañitas 8 Cañada de Eloisa 9 Cañada C/Interior I 10 Cañada de San Luis 11 Cañada de Bonavides

TRANSPORTE In ArcCatalog - Create new layer from “Transporte.dwg”: right click “create new layer” > Save layer as “Transporte” in desired folder (This will be georeferenced later) - Create new shapefiles: Right click Annotation/Point/Polygon/Polyline > select Export to shapefile (single) > Select desired folder for “Output Location” > name the Annotation/Point/Polygon/Polyline (Ex: “Transporte Annotation/Point/Polygon/Polyline”) - Define/Project the Annotation/Point/Polygon/Polyline to desired projection

In ArcMap - Add all of the above layers. - Through process of elimination I realized I only needed “Transporte_Polygon” and “Transporte_Polyline” (I used the “Transporte_layer” as my background to identify the shapes and lines) - Selected “Paradas_Motochoncho” and made a new layer from “… Polygon” - Selected “Rutas” and made a new layer from “… Polyline” o From this layer I was able to open attributes and Isolate the different “rutas” (Carros, Ruta 100A/B, Ruta 29, Ruta 59A/B) TOPO In ArcCatalog - Create new layer from “Topo-r.dwg”: right click “create new layer” > Save layer as “Topo” in desired folder (This will be georeferenced later) - Create new shapefiles: (after previewing, I’ll only need “polyline”) Right click Polyline > select Export to shapefile (single) > Select desired folder for “Output Location” > name the shapefile “TOPO Polyline” - Define/Project the Polyline to desired projection

In ArcMap - Add “TOPO layer” and “Topo Polyline to map. - Selected "Layer" IN ('7', 'CENTERLINE', 'TOPOUT') to get topography

DENSIDAD POBLACIONAL ? In ArcCatalog - Create new layer from “P16DENSIDAD POBLACIONAL.dwg”: right click “create new layer” > Save layer as “Densidad Poblacional” in desired folder (This will be georeferenced later)

40 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

- Create new shapefiles: (Only need “polyline”) Right click Polyline > select Export to shapefile (single) > Select desired folder for “Output Location” > name the shapefile “Densidad Polyline” - Define/Project the Polyline to desired projection

In ArcMap - Add “TOPO layer” and “Topo Polyline to map. - Selected "Layer" IN ('7', 'CENTERLINE', 'TOPOUT') to get topography

Vial ? LINIAMIENTO shows “riesgo”

Slopes_1_10 Clip to “Distrito Nacional”

CENSO 2002 Transfer Population from Census 2002 to Barrios layer In ArcMap - Bookmarks > “Resure” view > set Nivel 7 as only selectable layer > select the entire visible area. - Open Nivel 7 attributes table, show only selected polygons > sort ascending by name (DESCRIPCIO) - Add new field to attribute table called “Pop_2002”

In Excel - Open Census 2002 Excel Spreadsheet o Select Distrito Nacional data > copy into new worksheet o Turn on “Filter” and sort rows ascending by name - In

- Problems … can’t add data to fields (i.e. layers won’t show up on in Editor “target”) - Barrios don’t match up to census - No way to calculate geometry of Barrios/Sub-Barrios to produce density RECOMMENDATION: synchronize GIS areas to Census Blocks

Zoom in to Zurza???

Georeference layers: View > toolbars > georeferencing > select anchor points

Adjust size of shapes: Editor > More Editing Tools > Spatial Adjustment > select anchor points (much like georeferencing) > Move/edit shapefiles to match with layers in correct location with Layer that was just Georeferenced.

41 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

Copy shapefiles/groups to new map because scale/spatial analyst won’t work with CAD layers (no spatial reference) Once this is done you will need to define the map units: go to Data Frame properties > general > units > (meters) To activate spatial analyst - Tools > extensions > check box next to “spatial analyst”

Spatial Analyst/Reclassify

Vulnerability (Distance from) - Straight line: Spatial analyst > distance > straight line > distance to (chose layer) > Maximum distance (ex: “800”) > save to folder with “a” as suffix

- Reclassify: Spatial analyst > reclassify > (“10” = farthest/bad, “1” = closest/good) save as same name as above but with “b” as a suffix

Risk (Proximity to) - Straight line: Spatial analyst > distance > straight line > distance to (chose layer) > Maximum distance (ex: “1000”) > save to folder with “a” as suffix

- Reclassify: Spatial analyst > reclassify > (“1” = closest/bad, “10” = farthest/good) save as same name as above but with “b” as a suffix

Layers for Suitability/ (needed to make 1000 meters for visual exercise) Risk (physical) weighted (proximity to) Canadas (1000m) 10% Rio Isabela(1000m) 10% Inundaciones (1000m) 25% Terreno Accidentado (uneven) (1000m) 20% Slope (1000 meters) 35% Risk (physical) unweighted (proximity to) Canadas (1000m) 20% Rio Isabela(1000m) 20% Inundaciones (1000m) 20% Terreno Accidentado (uneven) (1000m) 20% Slope (1000 meters) 20%

Vulnerability (social) weighted (Distance from) Transporte (1000m) 15% Motoconcho (1000) 10% Educacion (1000m) 25%

42 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

Policia (1000m) 20% Salud (1000m) 30% Vulnerability (social) unweighted (Distance from) Transporte (1000m) 20% Motoconcho (1000) 20% Educacion (1000m) 20% Policia (1000m) 20% Salud (1000m) 20%

Raster calculator (percentages above) Vulnerability weighted: [Trans_1000b] * .15 + [edu_1000b] * .25 + [poli_1000b] * .2 + [sal_1000b] * .3 + [moto_1000b] * .1

Vulnerability unweighted: [Trans_1000b] * .2 + [edu_1000b] * .2 + [poli_1000b] * .2 + [sal_1000b] * .2 + [moto_1000b] * .2

Risk weighted [canha_1000b] * .15 + [rio_1000b] * .15 + [inun_1000b] * .25 + [slope_1000b] * .35 + [acc_1000b] * .1

Risk unweighted [canha_1000b] * .2 + [rio_1000b] * .2 + [inun_1000b] * .2 + [slope_1000b] * .2 + [acc_1000b] * .2

Select desired color template

Make Permanent (IMPORTANT!) - Right click raster “calculation” > select “data” > select “make permanent” > save to desired folder (I had “Risk_Wght,”and “Risk_UnWght” for the weighted and unweighted risk assesment; and “Vuln_Wght,” and “Vuln_UuWght” for the weighted and unweighted vulnerability assesment)

Combined [Risk unweighted] * .5+ [Vulnerability unweighted ] * .5 [Risk weighted] * .5 + [Vulnterability weighted] * .5

When done http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=knowledgebase.techarticles.articleShow&d=20988

MERGE([acc_100b],[canha_100b],[inun_100b],[rio_100b],[slope_50b])

Raster Overlay:

43 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009 http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.3/index.cfm?id=708&pid=706&topicname=Overlay_an alysis http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.2/index.cfm?TopicName=Aggregate http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.3/index.cfm?TopicName=Majority_Filter

Added Risk layers to new map - Dissolved shapes - Converted to raster (output cell size of 20) - Weighted Overlayed

Spatial analyst > options > - General > o Working directory > set to desired folder o Analysis mask > set to extent of analysis (IMPORTANT!) (I used “Nivel 6 - Barrio”) - Extent > (IMPORTANT!) o Analysis extent > set to desired extent (I also set this to “Nivel 6 –Barrio) o Snap extent to > none - Cell size > o I set this to a cell size from a previous analysis I liked (This makes the analysis look pixilated or not)

ArcScene 3D map Input “Relieve_hillshade” digital elevation model (DEM) Right click > properties > click on “obtain base heights for layer from surface” o Still in properties > click on “Rendering” tab > In “effects” section, select priority of “2” (this ensures other layers will be visible on top of 3D model). Add new layer - Rio Isabela o (normally do this) properties > base heights tab > click on “obtain base heights for layer from surface” o (In my case I did this, not the above) If the layer doesn’t display properly click properties > base heights tab > in the “offset” section, type in 200 and then select “apply” (or keep typing in different numbers until it shows). - Risk and Vulnerability o (did both) properties > base heights tab > click on “obtain base heights for layer from surface” o (this too) If the layer doesn’t display properly click properties > base heights tab > in the “offset” section, type in 200 and then select “apply” (or keep typing in different numbers until it shows). - Mar o properties > base heights tab > in the “offset” section, type in 200 and then select “apply” (or keep typing in different numbers until it shows). - Major Roads

44 Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic George McQueen – CRP 386 – Fall 2009

o properties > base heights tab > in the “offset” section, type in 200 and then select “apply” (or keep typing in different numbers until it shows). - Canhadas o properties > base heights tab > in the “offset” section, type in 200 and then select “apply” (or keep typing in different numbers until it shows).

Eport to JPG (one with analysis overlay, one without).