Havana’s neighborhoods have emerged in their own distinct ways. As the municipalities become more central, they become higher density and also more well known. To focus on each individual municipality would necessitate a website on its own, but this section will focus on 3 of these neighborhoods: Centro Habana, Habana Vieja, and Vedado (which is located mostly in the Plaza de la Revolucion and Cerro municipalities.
Centro Habana street scene. (Source: PD Cuba)
1. Centro Habana.
The densest and most lively of Havana’s municipalities, Centro Habana is squeezed in between the neighborhoods of Habana Vieja and Vedado. Centro Habana has a nearly perfectly regular street grid, and buildings generally rise four or five stories. It emerged after the collapse of colonial Havana’s walls in the 19th century. In the Republican era, Centro Habana served as Havana’s red light district. Today, it is residential, but bustling. It has few historical sites of note other than El Barrio Chino (Chinatown), and therefore is generally free from tourists. During the Special Period, former American department stores have been reopened by entrepreneurial Habaneros to try to draw business into Centro Habana. Unfortunately, Centro Habana contains some of the poorest infrastructure, and according to one travel guide, 1 in 3 houses are collapsed, and “muggings are common,” so getting tourists to roam the streets of Centro Habana will be difficult. Centro Habana also has the highest Mulatto and black populations, accounting for about 50% of the area’s inhabitants. The combination of the poverty of the municipality and the high black population suggests that the goal of racial equality set forth by the Revolution was largely ineffective at penetrating the inner city.
Havana Vieja street scene. (Source: Cuba Today)
2. Habana Vieja
Habana Vieja, another quite dense neighborhood, is the original colonial center of Havana. Today’s Habana Vieja is an interesting mix of wealth and revitalization and poverty and tenement housing. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982, which has brought in money for the reconstruction of facades, buildings, and the Plaza Vieja. The reconstruction of the Plaza Vieja has created an area in which many street vendors and musicians attempt to woo the tourists that congregate in the area. Most of the tourist sites are located in a small area in Habana Vieja, and the neighborhood plays off of this rustic, colonial feel. But walk just a few blocks away from El Capitolio and Plaza Vieja, and the streets become narrower, dirtier, and more organic. This is where Havana’s few industrial factories produce the small amount of industrial output in Havana today. These parts of the neighborhood are much in need of renovation, but probably won’t be for a while because of the slow pace of reconstruction in Habana Vieja.
Vedado street scene. (Source: Panoramio)
3. Vedado
Vedado borders the Malecon to the east of Centro Habana and Habana Vieja. It emerged as a wealthy neighborhood where Americans lived and vacationed during the Republican era. Today it contains a high proportion of luxury hotels such as the Hotel Riviera, the Hotel Nacional, and the newly built Melia Cohiba. Because Vedado was built to house the rich, the materials used were more sturdy than in materials used in low-end neighborhood construction, and during the Special Period the deterioration of houses and other structures in Vedado has been less pronounced, though definitely noticeable. A section of Vedado south of the Malecon called La Rampa, which emerged in the 50s as a second central business district to Habana Vieja, has recently become revitalized and contains a good amount of clubs, nightlife, and other entertainment venues.
Havana Special Period 