We are optimistic about the future of Oranjestad, this week, and the CUA initiative of bringing the private and public sector together, only highlights the fact that many people are optimistic about Oranjestad.
The press conference raised the question of what Oranjestad needs to become attractive, and functional again.
Apropos: We visited Curacao last week and walked both Punda and OtraBanda for many hours, there is so much to see. My FitBit says we walked 47KM, that’s over 70K steps in five days, and most of it in the little alleys. My travel companions came back with hundreds of photographs. Willemstad, Curacao is very photogenic.
Is Oranjestad photogenic, and interesting to walk in? Yes, and no. We have potential, but it hasn’t been realized.
I asked around for people’s thoughts.
Apartments/Flats: Oranjestad needs people living downtown on top of current stores. It’s popular elsewhere in the world. We must promote Oranjestad as a college town in line with the conversion of the former prosecutor’s building, into a student apartment complex. We need more of those initiative and we already have the Medical Schools with hundreds of your people looking for accommodations. Young people inject joy into the bars, restaurants, and create a dynamic scene. The private sector/current owners of the real estate must wake up and do their homework, upgrade their product and ADJUST the rent price. GOA pledged fiscal incentives to locals moving downtown, I am not sure what these are, but I hear they are set in stone.
Parking: A creative parking solution is called for, such as multi-level, tower parking systems, where the cars are in four tiers, in a steel structure. Don’t go building expensive parking garages, they are costly and unattractive, find a creative, modern solution, to regulate parking.
Nightlife & Entertainment: Similar to Punda, and the Pietermaai district, in Willemstad, the Caribbean vibe is in our DNA, with art galleries and specialty craft and fashion stores, bistro restaurants and fun bars, our potential street life, will be active and attract many.
I understand there is a bit of a competition between the group promoting the activities around Wilhelminastraat, the one developing Weststraat, and the individuals doing their best to upgrade the Emanstraat / Ellegoogstraat area.
These are three important prongs in the re-vitalization of Oranjestad. Wilhelminastraat is already showing signs of becoming a kind of food MECCA, and it will eventually merge with the activity in the pipeline on Weststraat, meeting the investors of Emanstraat and Elleboogstraat, to spread revival to other areas of Oranjestad.
Oranjestad has some good stories to tell; it is celebrating 200 years, and buildings have a rich past that should be researched acknowledged. True, Napoleon did not sleep here, but we have a history, which lies dormant and must be dug up.
Builder Giovanni De Veccia, argued with me this week, he says Oranjestad has no unique building style, everything is imported, even the Cunucu, from Africa, he says, and thus no one can prove that the island has an original architectural design. I argue that it does, and this style must be defined, and developed further, so that new stuff complements and reflects on the old stuff, to create a singular style for Oranjestad, based on our European and Caribbean inherited building principles. I don’t want it all to look the same, but certain elements must be carried on throughout, and easily recognized as the language of the island.
I am no architect, I don’t know how to do it, but I know we must preserve some of the old character of town otherwise we will turn Oranjestad into a lesser Las Vegas replicating iconic global landmarks.
To start, Oranjestad needs a major cleanup. Remove heaps of building debris, clear the weeds, chop up the dead trees. Water all ones that survived all these years without TLC. Fix sidewalks. Fix all foundations or remove them. Dry fountains are depressing. And repair the missing mosaic stones. Look at main street but also at the network of alleys, feeding into the main shopping artery.
By passing a law in which shop-keepers must help maintain their areas clean, we will make hundreds of business-owners our partners in the cleanup. Sweep and scrub the sidewalks in front of your store and pick up the cigarette butts. Listo.
In turn, cafes, restaurants, bars, will use the sidewalks to attract clients with their specialty items. Oranjestad will morph into a true culinary capital!
The bazaar stores? They would have to clean up their act. No more ugly chipped, mannequins in the windows.
I have more. I will save it for another day.
