Some of the topics discussed in this 31st edition are the challenges of the region regarding housing and urban development, the role of the State in the coordination and planning of policies in this sphere, as well as land market and financing, among other things.

Anelis Marichal, planning director general at the Cuban Institute of Land-Use and Urban Planning, told Prensa Latina that one of the topics discussed was the construction of houses in quality public spaces with access to basic services and infrastructures.

Another topic addressed, which is affecting the region, is higher real state construction costs, due to higher material and land prices.

She explained that Act 145 of land-use and urban planning in Cuba is aimed at guaranteeing the right to land ownership, an adequate house and a safe habitat, a healthy environment and citizen engagement.

Therefore, urban interventions in degraded, precarious and informal neighborhoods are prioritized.

She reported that precarious conditions in over 160,000 properties were eradicated in 162 of the country´s 168 municipalities, thus improving living conditions of families with three or more children.

All this work has been carried out amid the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States, which hinders access to materials and technologies for the construction of houses, she said.

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