Vice Prime Minister Inés María Chapman led a tour this weekend through areas near the Havana Malecón, accompanied by the city’s main authorities, with the stated goal of identifying deteriorated buildings and structures at risk of collapse.
The tour, shared by Canal Caribe, revealed what the people of Havana have known for decades: numerous buildings with damaged facades, structures on the verge of collapse, and parks with serious sanitation issues.
Among the places identified as urgent are the Castillito—an historic building located on the Malecón near the Torreón de la Chorrera—the university student residence, and areas of the historic wall of the Malecón.
The entities responsible for the works —the Office of the Historian, the Ministry of Construction, Aguas de La Habana, Recreatur Inmobiliaria, and the Business Group of Commerce of Havana— reported that they are already working on several projects, although they did not provide specific timelines.
The journey takes place in a context of chronic structural decay that the regime has ignored for decades. According to official figures, approximately 1,000 buildings in Havana collapse each year, and the national housing deficit exceeds 800,000 units.
In 2025, collapses claimed at least six lives in the capital. In July, three people including a seven-year-old girl died in the collapse of a building at Monte 722, in Old Havana. That same weekend, Roberto Álvarez Castillo, 60 years old, passed away in a collapse in Santo Suárez.
In August 2025, a five-month-old baby died in El Cerro when a wall collapsed during heavy rains and flooded their home. In November, Carlos Fidel Sánchez Díaz, 38, and his mother Sara Paula Díaz, 64, lost their lives in the collapse of a building on Compostela between Muralla and Sol.
The only documented intervention on the Malecón in recent years was emergency patching of a huge hole in the wall before the arrival of Hurricane Rafael in November 2024. The cyclone caused over 460 collapses in the capital.
Chapman's visit generates skepticism given his history of proposals disconnected from reality. In October 2025, he suggested placing televisions on the street connected to generators so the population could view government directives during blackouts. On April 9, he proposed mapping the water situation in Matanzas, where 300,000 people are facing supply issues, also without deadlines or concrete solutions.
The Cuban government has been repeatedly criticized for prioritizing the construction of hotels for tourism over the restoration of homes and heritage, while the Malecón and its surrounding buildings sink into neglect.
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