Factores que contribuyen al éxito o fracaso de proyectos comunitarios experiencias en el barrio Pogolotti, La Habana, Cuba

Abstract

The paper presents a personal and selective version of a research project in the Havana barrios just completed by an international group of urban researchers. The research examined the contributions of several factors to the success or the failure of community projects in poor urban settlements. This version examines the “origin of the projects”, as a factor that might influence the destiny of initiatives carried out in Pogolotti, a settlement characterized by poor living, particularly housing, conditions. The paper describes the difficult context in which urban processes take place in today’s Cuba. It then examines the measures adopted to stimulate the participation of the community in projects directed not only to ameliorate the material conditions in the barrios but also to express cultural and artistic values and to further the respect and solidarity amongst residents. Pogolotti was the first working class settlement built in Cuba at the start of the 20th Century. The paper presents it through its history, its people, and through a number of projects - some successful and some that failed – that show the creativity of a civil society living difficult times and how public institutions respond to critical demands.