| Summary: | Despite limited means and repeated situations of crises, the Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de La Habana has saved a part of the city’s colonial heritage, initially planned for destruction. This restoration work, which led to Old Havana’s being awarded a World Heritage Site label by UNESCO in 1982, is characterized by a strong will to innovate and follow alternative strategies, given the local Socialist context—like resorting to self-governance and to mixed (public and private) funding. This approach proudly defends a global, social, and cultural conception of the concept of ‘heritage’ and it defines itself as “utopist” as it tries to make community life, original grassroots experiences and tourism promotion coexist. Given its success, it has become today an alternative model for developing countries ‑ particularly in the Americas ‑ which are trying to restore and promote their historical urban centers.
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