Second Havana Harbour Charrette - March 2008
Apr 9, 2011
The Cuban and Norwegian chapters of C.E.U. - Council for European Urbanism
Design Studies and Recommendations:
Casblanca: Part - 1
The Casablanca team was unique among the three groups, because, in preparation for the charrette, its leader, Adrian Lee, made informal contact with the community and the authorities of Casablanca. CEU believes Casablanca has potential to become an example for the regeneration of Havana, In addition to their design work, the team met with the people (17 in total) from the town and proposed a potential process for change to them, a participative, visualization exercise for setting community strategies and investment. The meeting included people from the government, the Catholic Church, the youth and other institutions.
The design proposals evolved from last year’s Charrette after the team concluded that the earlier work was too dense and lacking an appropriate center.
Using experiences from the previous year and the public consultation the team’s ideas were distilled into the following concept areas:
1 Four new centres with one proposed as a new civic centre to allow separation of functions from Regla. Development densities to increase towards these centres.
- Each of these centres could be developed independently of each other as sustainable compact neighbourhoods, which in the long term interlink through co-ordinated features like open space and axial routes
- Over time, the four new neighbourhood centres extend to form inter-linked grid layout to create a cohesive whole
- Natural topography separates the old from the new except for the strong link between the statue and the new neighbourhood centres on the hill. This is considered appropriate to the existing neighbourhood characteristics and the polycentric nature of the rest of Havana.
2 Development linked to existing streets. Improved connections between terraces. Better connections for the tourist wanting to visit the monuments in Casablanca.
- Key features which are important to the character of the area - reminiscent of the Prado in Old Havana - a tree lined axis running through the local centres and aligning with important landmarks like the statue of Christ and the observatory.
- Enhance the terminal and central spaces existing within Casablanca already.
3 New facilities for sports. A boulevard along waterfront connects the length of new development with parks.
4 Identify and reinforce key views and axes linking existing landmarks, protected by height restriction and by leaving some plots vacant allowing sight lines to Havana Vieja.
- Retain green setting for the observatory and the statue of Christ.
- Density and formality of coding of development blocks to increase along formal routes and neighbourhood centres
see note 7 about sources for material on this page
