A Participatory Urban Design Strategy for Sustainable Public Space Revitalization

Urban regeneration has become one of the most critical architectural and planning strategies in historic cities facing decay, density pressure, and socio-economic challenges. The project Centro Habana Urban Regeneration – Desde Adentro proposes a comprehensive and participatory urban design framework for the Dragones area in Centro Habana, Havana. Designed by Sara Venturini and Carolina Solis Bonini, the proposal reimagines underutilized and degraded urban lots as catalysts for social, cultural, and spatial renewal.

Rather than imposing large-scale demolition or isolated architectural interventions, the project adopts a fine-grain, incremental regeneration strategy rooted in community engagement and adaptive reuse. At its core, the proposal demonstrates how urban regeneration can function as both a spatial and social transformation tool.

Everyday life on Calle Perseverancia, where community and street culture define the urban identity of Centro Habana.

Phase 1 strategy introducing tactical public space interventions and traffic calming along Calle Perseverancia.

Context: Vedado, Centro Habana, Habana Vieja

Centro Habana occupies a strategic position between Vedado and Habana Vieja, two districts with contrasting urban identities. While Habana Vieja benefits from heritage tourism investment and Vedado represents a more open urban fabric, Centro Habana remains densely populated, characterized by deteriorating buildings, vacant lots, and fragmented public space.

The Dragones neighborhood reflects these conditions: compact blocks, mixed typologies, historical facades in varying states of conservation, and limited accessible green space. However, embedded within this density lies enormous potential for public space activation and community-driven urban revitalization.

Strategic Urban Regeneration Framework

The project establishes a structured catalogue of intervention typologies categorized according to existing building conditions and spatial opportunities. These range from:

Vacant or abandoned lots
Structurally compromised buildings
Publicly owned properties with functional voids
Underutilized street intersections

This analytical catalogue allows targeted and phased regeneration rather than generalized transformation. By classifying spaces according to degradation level and ownership structure, the strategy ensures feasible, incremental implementation.

Calle Perseverancia: A Model for Street-Led Regeneration

Calle Perseverancia becomes the pilot corridor demonstrating how a single street can embody a complete urban regeneration process.

The transformation strategy includes:

Creation of slow-traffic zones
Introduction of bike lanes
Expansion of pedestrian areas
Integration of green axes
Activation of corner intersections as micro public spaces

Through these interventions, the street evolves from a purely vehicular corridor into a multifunctional urban spine supporting commerce, culture, and everyday social life.

Participatory Design as Urban Infrastructure

A defining feature of this urban regeneration project is its participatory design methodology. "Desde Adentro" (From Within) reflects the intention to regenerate the neighborhood from internal social structures rather than external imposition.

Community members are envisioned as active agents in:

Re-appropriating empty lots
Co-programming cultural spaces
Participating in phased development
Managing micro-economies within revitalized buildings

Urban regeneration here is not limited to architecture; it becomes a framework for civic empowerment.

Phased Development Strategy

The proposal is structured across multiple temporal phases to ensure economic feasibility and social adaptability.

Phase 1: Tactical Urban Activation

Initial interventions focus on small-scale public space insertions, temporary programming, and traffic calming. These low-cost actions begin shifting perception and usage patterns.

Phase 2 & 3: Architectural Consolidation

Selected buildings undergo adaptive reuse, with cultural and artistic functions introduced. Intersections are redesigned to create pedestrian priority nodes.

Phase 4 & 5: Cultural Anchors and Mixed-Use Intensification

Larger structures are rehabilitated to accommodate photography studios, drawing ateliers, sculpture workshops, galleries, multipurpose halls, and laboratories. These programmatic anchors strengthen economic sustainability while reinforcing neighborhood identity.

The phased approach ensures that urban regeneration is continuous and resilient rather than abrupt and disruptive.

Phase 2 regeneration plan activating intersections and rehabilitating key buildings through adaptive reuse.

Phase 3 expansion of cultural nodes and pedestrian-priority corridors within the urban fabric.

Cultural Infrastructure as a Regenerative Tool

The architectural program emphasizes cultural and artistic production as drivers of regeneration. Proposed spaces include:

Photography studios (290 sqm)
Drawing workshops (290 sqm)
Sculpture ateliers (290 sqm)
Gallery and administration spaces (290 sqm)
Multipurpose hall (110 sqm)
Laboratory spaces (110 sqm)

By integrating creative industries into the urban fabric, the project links spatial renewal with local economic opportunity. Cultural production becomes both an architectural and social infrastructure.

Reinterpreting the Havana Streetscape

One of the most compelling aspects of the project is its careful treatment of historic facades. Rather than erasing existing architectural identity, the proposal overlays subtle contemporary interventions onto preserved typologies.

The visual language maintains Havana’s layered urban memory while introducing improved accessibility, shaded pedestrian zones, and integrated landscape elements. Public seating, tree canopies, and micro-plazas reinforce the street as an extension of domestic life.

The regeneration strategy respects the morphological continuity of Centro Habana while redefining its functional potential.

Green Areas and Urban Ecology

The introduction of green axes and micro parks addresses one of the district’s most pressing deficits: lack of accessible open space. Vegetation is strategically placed along pedestrian corridors and intersections to improve microclimate conditions and enhance walkability.

This ecological layer strengthens the sustainability dimension of the urban regeneration strategy, contributing to thermal comfort, environmental resilience, and improved public health.

From Degradation to Collective Ownership

The Centro Habana Urban Regeneration project illustrates how architecture and urban design can move beyond aesthetics into systemic transformation. Through targeted interventions, participatory planning, and phased implementation, the Dragones area becomes a living laboratory for sustainable urban revitalization.

By activating vacant lots, rehabilitating cultural infrastructure, and redesigning Calle Perseverancia as a pedestrian-friendly corridor, the project demonstrates that urban regeneration is not about replacement—but about reactivation.

Designed by Sara Venturini and Carolina Solis Bonini, Desde Adentro proposes a model adaptable to historic districts worldwide: a regeneration process rooted in community, culture, and incremental architectural transformation.

In a city where time has left visible layers of decay and resilience, Centro Habana’s transformation requires sensitivity rather than spectacle. This urban regeneration strategy offers a replicable framework for cities facing similar conditions—where density, deterioration, and social vibrancy coexist.

By aligning participatory design, cultural programming, and tactical urbanism, the project redefines urban regeneration as a collaborative, phased, and deeply contextual process capable of restoring both space and collective identity.