{"id":267599,"date":"2023-04-03T18:52:03","date_gmt":"2023-04-03T22:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=267599"},"modified":"2023-04-03T18:52:03","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T22:52:03","slug":"a-poor-city-does-not-have-to-be-a-disordered-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/a-poor-city-does-not-have-to-be-a-disordered-city\/","title":{"rendered":"A poor city does not have to be a disordered city"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is no doubt that economic difficulties hinder and limit the unavoidable maintenance and rehabilitation actions that cities need; but it has become a stereotyped response from the government and the administration to affirm that urban problems cannot be faced due to lack of material resources. In fact, more serious is the lack of technical, intellectual, cultural and organizational resources.<\/span><\/p>\n

Living in society \u2014 particularly in cities \u2014 requires a minimum of rules of the game that avoid the multiple conflicts that are generated by the density and diversity of the urban context, both of buildings and of citizens. Buildings have to be ordered and social relations have to be organized somehow. And it is evident that Havana is becoming increasingly disordered.<\/span><\/p>\n

As far as buildings are concerned, it seems that the activity of urban control has disappeared and that everyone can do what they want. Attacks on various heritage buildings have recently set off alarms.<\/span><\/p>\n

The development of the Cuban capital is being increasingly fragmented and disjointed. There is no truly operational master plan, and the city is being transformed due to multiple uncoordinated initiatives, both private and public.<\/span><\/p>\n

Constructive actions of private enterprises, local development projects, modifications, extensions or divisions by citizens are intermingled without order or harmony, with small-scale public works such as those carried out in the so-called vulnerable neighborhoods; the initiatives of the municipal authorities \u2014 which tend to be reactive, hasty, when not improvised \u2014 with works of national initiative such as huge hotel for tourism \u2014 which ignore their immediate context \u2014, without perceiving that there is a strategic idea of how lead and save the city. All this also consumes materials.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Jardinieres in the section of Avenida de los Presidentes in July 2020; remodeling that would be lifted and redone after a wave of criticism. Photo: JC Petrirena.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are various fields in which action should and can be taken without the need to spend many financial or material resources. I would point out two in particular: the dissemination, application and control of urban regulations, and the formulation of urban coexistence ordinances.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to stress that it is by no means enough to draft and promulgate a legal text proposed by a group of specialists. It should be about rules that are understood and assumed as necessary and convenient by the citizenry. As an answer to the question of why abide by them, the traditional reply of the official on duty is not valid: \u201cBecause it is what is established\u201d; which is the same as saying \u201cbecause I say so.\u201d If so, they may be adhered to, but they will not be followed.<\/span><\/p>\n