Are New, Sustainable Communities in Haiti’s Future?

To hear some people talk you would think that Haiti and Port au Prince are one in the same.  Of course, this line of thinking doesn’t make a lot of sense because “Haiti is a country” and “Port au Prince is a city.”

For a variety of reasons, almost all involving economics, Haiti evolution as a country has produced two main cities; Port Au Prince and Cap Haitien.  You don’t have to be a social anthropologist to understand that this concentration of people and power has been both toxic and destructive to Haiti’s maturation.

If Haiti is to have a legitimate chance of joining the modern world, the world community will need to encourage, support and require the decentralization of the island.  In fact, I think it’s safe to say that decentralization of Haiti is a moral imperative and any failure to accept this reality should be met with suspicion and public scrutiny.

Why Developing 5 new cities throughout the country is important to the Haiti’s recovery.

From the moment HR&DC was established, I have consistently called for the creation of 5 new (modern) cities strategically located throughout Haiti.  I have been unwavering in my vision of that plan including:

• That each new city (enterprise zone), must be a model of short and long-term sustainability.
• Creating sustainable communities will test the intellect and resolve of all involved
• That I am confident that a balance can be achieved between wants, needs, desires and opportunities.

What Do You Think About Our Plan for 5 Cities 4 Haiti’s Recovery?

While many have embraced our “5 Cities” concept as a necessary component to Haiti’s universal and nationalistic Renaissance, some naysayer’s have dismissed it as pure fancy and unnecessary.  (Care to guess the motives of those who dismiss the concept as “unnecessary?”)

We (HR&DC), on the other hand, believe Haiti is a country and not a single city and reject the notion that Haiti is to complex and to broken to be fixed.

We believe Haiti’s future requires new, sustainable communities.  What do you think?  Are we on the right path?