Hablemos de La Habana

In February 2017, Friends of Havana partnered with the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHCH), the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba, UNEAC, and the World Monuments Fund to organize Hablemos de La Habana, an international symposium on the future of Havana.

Held over three days at the Habana Libre Hotel and the University of San Gerónimo, the event brought together more than 150 Cuban planners, architects, scholars, and policymakers, alongside over 40 international experts from the United States, Europe, and Latin America. The symposium grew out of an earlier exchange in 2015, when Cuban planners visited U.S. universities and institutions and sparked interest in a deeper international dialogue around Havana’s future.

The program was structured around six working groups: Culture and Economic Development; Urban Planning and Land Management; Mobility and Infrastructure; Architecture, Housing and Public Space; Historic Preservation; and Community Development. Across panels and workshop sessions, participants examined Havana’s major challenges and explored practical ways to respond to them.

A number of common themes emerged. Participants stressed the need for a long-term, city-wide strategy that links economic development, preservation, infrastructure, and social inclusion. They also emphasized that Havana’s greatest strengths lie in its people, its cultural life, its historic fabric, and its institutions.

The symposium produced a framework for continued collaboration, including research initiatives, pilot projects, professional exchanges, and new tools for public communication and urban decision-making. It marked the beginning of a longer-term international conversation about Havana’s future and helped establish the collaborative approach that continues to shape Friends of Havana’s work.