The reconstruction research agenda

What would it take to build a free Cuba?

Start with the systems people need, the rights they should hold, and the places they call home. These sector files bring together questions, source entry points and gaps that need better evidence.

All future development here is conditional on a free, democratic, post-communist Cuba. The timing, legal framework and transition path remain unknown.

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Six fields. Connected questions.

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These are open research agendas, not investment listings. Source links establish context; they do not certify an asset, project or commercial opening.

01

Keep daily life working

Energy & essential services

Island-wide systems · Cienfuegos · local communities

Research agenda

What would a reliable, accountable electricity system require?

Research the sequence from emergency continuity to a resilient grid, with water, hospitals and households at the center.

Questions to develop

  • Map critical service dependencies
  • Compare distributed and grid-scale options
  • Define transparent rehabilitation priorities
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Evidence & context

Energy and infrastructure are named fields in the CANCC reconstruction committee agenda. EIA provides a country-level energy data entry point.

What remains unknown

A current, independently verified inventory of plant condition, local reliability, repair costs and ownership remains to be assembled.

02

Rebuild without displacement

Housing & urban renewal

Havana · provincial cities · communities across Cuba

Research agenda

How can safer homes and secure rights advance together?

Connect housing rehabilitation, water, public space and heritage with the rights of residents and a fair process for property claims.

Questions to develop

  • Document condition and resident needs
  • Study claims and tenure safeguards
  • Compare rehabilitation and service sequencing
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Evidence & context

UNESCO documents Old Havana’s historic urban fabric and its conservation needs. That record is a starting point for place-based research.

What remains unknown

Building-level safety, occupancy, competing claims and infrastructure capacity need current local evidence before any project can be evaluated.

03

Connect people and places

Ports & mobility

Havana · Mariel · Cienfuegos · Antilla / Bahía de Nipe

Research agenda

Which connections would serve reconstruction first?

Study ports, roads and passenger links as a connected system for food, equipment, family mobility and essential services.

Questions to develop

  • Separate historic precedent from current readiness
  • Map port-to-community dependencies
  • Compare passenger and essential-goods needs
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Evidence & context

HER’s Havana Ferry file examines historical service and a future scenario. UNESCO records Havana’s maritime heritage; neither establishes present service readiness.

What remains unknown

Terminal condition, route demand, access rights, future law and operating economics require separate verification.

04

Put communities in the picture

Tourism & cultural heritage

Havana · Varadero · Jardines del Rey · Santiago

Research agenda

What would locally rooted tourism look like in a free Cuba?

Explore heritage, small enterprise and visitor infrastructure while asking who benefits, what places can support, and how culture is protected.

Questions to develop

  • Study resident participation and ownership
  • Link heritage protection to local enterprise
  • Assess service capacity before expansion
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Evidence & context

UNESCO recognizes Old Havana’s cultural value. CANCC includes tourism in its reconstruction committee agenda.

What remains unknown

Local preferences, visitor demand, water and energy limits, asset control and future licensing cannot be assumed.

05

Start with food security

Agriculture & food systems

Camagüey · rural Cuba · island-wide distribution

Research agenda

How could producers build a more dependable food system?

Trace the links between land, water, inputs, storage, transport and access to markets in a future democratic economy.

Questions to develop

  • Establish dated production and import baselines
  • Map storage and transport constraints
  • Study secure land access and producer institutions
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Evidence & context

Agriculture appears in the CANCC reconstruction agenda. FAOSTAT is a source entry point for historical food and agriculture series.

What remains unknown

Current farm-level conditions, land rights, water availability and distribution losses need verified local records; historical series alone are insufficient.

06

Make trust part of the infrastructure

Institutions & enterprise

National institutions · local government · diaspora

Research agenda

What would let people build businesses under fair, lasting rules?

Examine democratic legitimacy, property claims, transparent procurement, banking and diaspora participation as foundations for reconstruction.

Questions to develop

  • Define observable transition conditions
  • Study open procurement and ownership disclosure
  • Compare rights-respecting approaches to claims
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Evidence & context

CANCC describes reconstruction committees spanning finance, trade and private-sector development. HER’s Transition Gap sets out questions for a credible first-year plan.

What remains unknown

The timing, legitimate authority and rules of a future transition are unresolved. A committee agenda does not establish an adopted national plan.

Research by place

Follow the connections.

Ports, cities and rural communities share systems. Regional entry points help connect national questions to local evidence.

A research geography
Western Cuba Central Cuba Eastern Cuba FLORIDA STRAITS CARIBBEAN SEA

Illustrative research entry points. Geographic focus does not establish project readiness or availability.

From a question to a credible file

Make the next step verifiable.

The useful next step may be a source, a corrected assumption, a local perspective or an independent condition assessment. A project would need much more: rights, authority, feasibility and the consent of people it affects.

Tell us what you can contribute

Dated evidence

Country-level datasets and heritage records are starting points. Local conditions and asset readiness require current, independent checks.

Explicit scenarios

A future democratic government’s rules cannot be assumed. We examine possibilities and the conditions they would depend on.

Open interests

CSP holds Cuba-related digital assets and owns Havana Economic Review. Our research interests are disclosed in HER’s methodology.