Urban Design Lab Handbook – Dialogue-oriented urban transformation processes and practical approaches from Latin America and the Caribbean

C
Solutions
Integrated Housing and Mixed-Use Strategy for the
Historic Center of Paramaribo, Suriname
Paramaribo’s historic center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage
Site (WHS) in 2002 thanks to its wealth of colonial-style wooden buildings
erected during the city’s foundation by the Dutch back in the seventeenth
century. While the concentration of monuments holds a great potential for
the sustainable development of Paramaribo’s historic center, the inner city
is in a state of urban decay and neglect. Many buildings are in a poor physical
condition. Residential and commercial functions strongly declined over the
past decades as people gradually moved to the suburbs. Due to the lack of
functional diversity and permanent residents, the historic center turns into
a deserted area after office hours. Residents from other neighborhoods
do not like to visit the historic center for shopping or recreational purposes.
This creates a perception of abandonment and insecurity.