Havana Mapping Lived Experiences of Urban Agriculture

Following the crisis of the Special Period, Cuba promoted urban agriculture throughout its towns and cities to address food sovereignty and security. Through the adoption of state recommended design strategies, these gardens have become places of social and economic exchange throughout Cuba. This book maps the lived experiences surrounding three urban farms in Havana to construct a deeper understanding about the everyday life of this city. Using narratives and drawings, this research uncovers these sites as places where education, intimacy, entrepreneurism, wellbeing, and culture are interwoven alongside food production. Henri Lefebvre’s latent work on rhythmanalysis is used as a research method to capture the everyday beats particular to Havana surrounding these sites. This book maps the many ways in which these spaces shift power away from the state to become places that are co-created by the community to serve as a crucial hinge point between the ongoing collapse of the city and its future wellbeing.

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements 1 Introduction 2 Studying and Documenting Everyday Urban Life 3 Different Perspectives Surrounding Urban Agriculture 4 Symbiotic Urban Rhythms in San Isidro 5 Living Together in Cayo Hueso 6 The Complex Character of Plaza de la Revolución 7 Reflections Glossary Bibliography Index

Susan Anne Mansel Fitzgerald, PhD is the Design Director and Managing Partner at FBM. She is also an Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University Faculty of Architecture and Planning. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.