Kurt Hollander walks around Centro Habana – 500 square blocks of
concrete dwellings containing inner patios, labyrinthine passages and
twisting stairways
Friday May 28th 2010
Although 2 million people are spread throughout the city of Havana, more
than 150,000 of them are packed into Centro Habana, the most densely
populated neighbourhood in all of Cuba.
Not one of the neighbourhood's 342 hectares is used for agriculture,
there are almost no green patches within its urban grid and no river
runs through it. Centro Habana is, basically, 500 square blocks of
concrete dwellings.
Compared to the rest of the city, there are three times as many people
in Centro Habana living in solares, huge, multifamily buildings built in
the 1950s that extend deep into the middle of the block with inner
patios, labyrinthine passages and twisting stairways. Although many of
these huge structures have art deco facades with stately columns and
classy architectural details, most are in need of renovation. Besides
the dozen or so apartments per floor on each of four or five floors, other
living spaces have been added within the courtyards, passageways and on
the rooftops, increasing by several times the original occupancy.
Whether it's a concrete cube or an ex-mansion, most people in Cuba own
their homes. Many convert their homes into moneymaking ventures, legal
and otherwise. Although people's homes are considered private property,
it's against the law to buy or sell real estate. Cubans can, however,
exchange their own home for another, a process called permutar, which
allows people to move across the country. Even though it is illegal,
people often sweeten a deal with money to improve their living standard,
and there are a lot of black market real estate agents who help with
paperwork.
People in Centro Habana tend to have little privacy. The lack of
available apartments complicates relationships, often keeping young
people from marrying, and forcing many married couples who break up to
continue living together for lack of other real estate options.
Cubans are able to rent hotel rooms these days, but the prices tend to
be set for tourists. Up until recently, however, there used to be more
than 100 posadas in Havana, love hotels where rooms were rented by the
hour. Due to the severe lack of residential units, these posadas were
converted into apartments in 2003. Since then, lovemaking, and life in
general, has become much more difficult in Centro Habana.
http://www.guardianweekly.co.uk/?page=editorial&id=1579&catID=23
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