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News > Latin America

Raul Castro Solicits 'Agile' Solutions to Cuban Housing Crisis

  • Cuban President Raul Castro (L) at the Popular Power's National Assembly in Havana.

    Cuban President Raul Castro (L) at the Popular Power's National Assembly in Havana. | Photo: EFE

Published 21 December 2017
Opinion

Cuba's President Raul Castro has highlighted the need to find "agile" solutions to the Caribbean island's housing shortages during the Communist Party's IV plenary session.

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During the Thursday session, Castro also confirmed the government is working on an integral program that includes the use of new construction materials and technologies.

At the end of 2016, Cuba registered a deficit of 880,000 housing units nationwide. The problem is most severe in more densely populated areas such as Havana (206,000), Holguin (147,000) and Santiago de Cuba (103,000). 

The deficit has proven a difficult problem to solve for both economic and environmental reasons. Currently it is easy to find houses where two or three generations cohabit. 

Most housing structures on the island are more than 30 years old and suffering structural deterioration. New houses are inaccesible to most Cubans due to high prices. Cuba produces construction materials, but demand exceeds current production capacity.  

On the environmental front, Cuba is frequently hit by storms and hurricanes that threaten the integrity of its housing infrastructure. 

At the end of the IV plenary session, Castro summoned a new session for March 2018 to review the implementation of work guidelines.   

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