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30 | the <strong>Alamar</strong> travel guide<br />
make this New Town less dependent on the city<br />
center of Havana.<br />
Having seen the bungalows, we finish our walk.<br />
The housing blocks will stay, but what about<br />
the self-created courtyards and their informal<br />
additions? While the economic situation in<br />
Cuba is still in development the additions have<br />
become a main instrument to earn a living.<br />
You would hope that the authorities wouldn’t<br />
take away their main source of income without<br />
offering a sustainable alternative. Besides this,<br />
the proximity of different services is not only<br />
practical, but also very sustainable as people can<br />
reduce their dependence on transportation and<br />
logistics to other parts of Havana. However, rapid<br />
changes within Cuba’s political structure will<br />
inevitably bring more wealth and opportunities<br />
to its society. It will perhaps also bring more<br />
legitimacy to the government to ‘clean up’<br />
<strong>Alamar</strong>. The very essence of this unique New<br />
Town is facing a risk to vanish. So for now, be the<br />
witness of this unique phenomenon – visit one of<br />
the courtyards of <strong>Alamar</strong> in between its world of<br />
prefabricated housing.<br />
Fig. 2.14 <strong>Alamar</strong>: a relationship between<br />
housing, courtyards and the people.
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