urban development

Boquete fair envisions the future

S. Rivera/la prensa

improvements: The Boquete community wants sustainable urban development that benefits everyone.987661

An urban and environmental development fair was held in Boquete last Feb. 19 with the goal of fostering an exchange among residents and others that would ensure the sustainability of the Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial, Ambiental y de Desarrollo Urbano.

Rodrigo Marciag, coordinator of the event, said the fair was actually a part of the Plan de Ordenamiento itself, and it was designed to bring people together to talk about ideas and projects that would lead to better community planning.

"Our fundamental interest is in trying to plan the future development of Boquete and avoid the complications that arise owing to the heavy investment we've seen in the area so that we create the Boquete that we want," Marciag said.

He mentioned that the planning has been in the development phase for eight months and will come to an end in March. The final strategic plan will be formulated by Intracorp S.A, the company that won the bid for the job in a worldwide competition involving 27 other companies.

"We need infrastructure projects such as the renovation of the Boquete's urban center, a sewer system, a water treatment plant, education programs, and others, but that call on the participation of the general population," Marciag emphasized. The fair is just the groundwork for the plan, he added, because the projects presented here are only about what must actually be done to achieve our objectives. Moreover, he said, we are holding afternoon discussions from Monday through Friday from 4:00 to 6:00 on various subjects related to economics, culture, and infrastructure with exhibits by the city, banks, and various private enterprises that want to support Boquete's development.

In addition to the sewer system, water treatment, and other projects Marciag mentioned, there are plans under consideration for improving aqueducts and the local public market, which, in order to make it more fruitful, requires improving access to the area by building bridges and roads. In short, the community is looking at everything that will promote the most equitable development of an area that has been growing and developing rapidly in recent years.