The first San Nicolas Future Forum will bring residents, government institutions, businesses, investors and community organizations together to discuss a comprehensive direction for the city’s future.
The event will take place on August 11, 12 and 13, 2026, placing San Nicolas at the centre of what organizers describe as an unprecedented national development process.
During the forum, development economist and nation builder Suzette Dumfries will present the results of five years of extensive research into San Nicolas.
The research has resulted in a proposed vision, development direction and concrete plan intended to guide the city’s economic, social, cultural and physical transformation.
The initiative is led by Dumfries with support from CEDE Aruba and PKF Dutch Caribbean & Suriname in Aruba.
Organizers said the process will bring together the Government of Aruba, Parliament, public institutions, financial organizations, insurance companies, investors, entrepreneurs, property owners, civil society groups, professionals, young people and San Nicolas residents.
The objective is to develop a shared understanding of the city’s current reality and identify the direction required for its future.
Dumfries has spent the past five years examining San Nicolas from economic, social, cultural, historical, spatial and institutional perspectives.
The San Nicolas Future Forum will combine this research with community input and the experiences of stakeholders to present an integrated development plan and implementation structure.
According to Dumfries, the forum is not intended to become another meeting where participants discuss revitalization without producing follow-up action.
Instead, it is designed as the beginning of a national development process based on evidence, community participation and practical implementation.
“San Nicolas does not need another promise, another isolated project or another conversation without continuation,” Dumfries said.
“San Nicolas needs a clear direction, a comprehensive plan and a structure capable of turning that plan into action.”
Five-Phase Development Process
The Forum on the Future of San Nicolas will consist of five phases. The first two phases are scheduled to be completed during August 2026.
During the first phase on August 11, 12 and 13, Dumfries will present the findings of her five-year independent study.
Over three evenings, the public will receive an in-depth explanation of how San Nicolas reached its present condition.
The presentations will examine the formal and informal economic systems operating within the city, structural barriers affecting development and resources that remain underused.
These resources include local talent, property, culture, entrepreneurship and investment opportunities.
The research also examines connections between history, employment, business development, trade, housing, safety, migration, public spaces, identity, access to capital and cultural preservation.
Organizers said the presentations will also include the consistent views expressed by residents, business owners and other stakeholders regarding the future they want for San Nicolas.
This community perspective will be presented as the “Voice of San Nicolas.”
“For five years, I have studied San Nicolas from the inside out,” Dumfries said.
“I have examined its history, economy, communities, vulnerabilities and potential. The time has come to place the complete evidence before San Nicolas and Aruba without romanticizing, simplifying or hiding uncomfortable realities.”
Civic Forum and Regional Plan
The second phase will consist of a Civic Forum scheduled for August 20, 21 and 22, 2026.
During these sessions, Dumfries will present a proposed vision, development direction and comprehensive regional plan for San Nicolas.
The proposal will connect economic development, spatial planning, social progress, culture, heritage, public safety, housing, institutions, investment, financing and implementation.
An organizational framework will also be presented to demonstrate how the development process could be coordinated, funded and executed.
Participants will discuss priority development areas, institutional responsibilities and the steps required to move from planning to implementation.
“Research without a plan remains a description, while a plan without research becomes an assumption,” Dumfries said.
“A plan without an implementation structure cannot be executed. This process brings evidence, planning and structure together.”
San Nicolas and Aruba’s Future
Organizers stressed that the future of San Nicolas cannot be separated from the future of Aruba.
Developments in San Nicolas affect employment, commerce, investment, housing, public safety, culture, social cohesion and the wider national economy.
The process is therefore intended to involve residents and stakeholders from across the public and private sectors.
Dumfries said participants are not expected to agree with every element of the proposed plan.
The objective is for each participant to understand the evidence and identify the role they can play in the city’s future.
“San Nicolas cannot be developed without San Nicolas, but San Nicolas also cannot develop alone,” she said.
“The government, private sector, financial institutions, investors, civil society and community must enter the process and understand their responsibilities.”
Dumfries emphasized that participation by San Nicolas residents is especially important.
“If San Nicolas is not present, other people will continue speaking on behalf of San Nicolas,” she said.
“That cannot continue. San Nicolas must show up, listen, speak and participate.”
The San Nicolas Future Forum is free to attend, but advance registration is required.
Registration is currently available for the research presentations scheduled for August 11, 12 and 13. A separate registration link for the August 20, 21 and 22 Civic Forum will be announced later.
