Havana Sees New Life for Seedy Industrial Port
Havana's harbor has long been an unsightly jumble of piers left to crumble into piles of rusty, twisted rebar. Its dominant feature is a refinery smokestack across the bay that belches smoke and flame 24 hours a day.
But lately demolition crews and towering cranes have been working double-time to finally tear down the ruined docks. Gentrification is already evident in the lovingly restored bayside plazas of Old Havana, and now comes an ambitious plan to turn the polluted waterfront into a gleaming promenade with restaurants, cafes and public parks.
It has all been made possible because of a new port under construction west of the Cuban capital that promises to knock Havana from its perch as Cuba's No. 1 shipping hub. Where some might bemoan the economic loss, city authorities instead see an opportunity to transform this seedy industrial zone and revitalize the depressed, densely packed Spanish colonial core.
"The bay is symbolic. It is what gave birth to the city and it is part of what we are today," said Orlando Inclan, an architect with the Havana City Historian's Office, which is overseeing the project. "Now it's time to redefine it."
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/havana-sees-life-seedy-industrial-port-20257724
