Not one of the neighbourhood's 342 hectares is used for agriculture, there are almost no green patches within its urban grid and no river runs through it. Centro Habana is, basically, 500 square blocks of concrete dwellings.
Compared to the rest of the city, there are three times as many people in Centro Habana living in solares, huge, multifamily buildings built in the 1950s that extend deep into the middle of the block with inner patios, labyrinthine passages and twisting stairways. Although many of these huge structures have art deco facades with stately columns and classy architectural details, most are in need of renovation. Besides the dozen or so apartments per floor on each of four or five floors, other living spaces have been added within the courtyards, passageways and on the rooftops, increasing by several times the original occupancy.
Whether it's a concrete cube or an ex-mansion, most people in Cuba own their homes. Many convert their homes into moneymaking ventures, legal and otherwise. Although people's homes are considered private property, it's against the law to buy or sell real estate. Cubans can, however, exchange their own home for another, a process called permutar, which allows people to move across the country. Even though it is illegal, people often sweeten a deal with money to improve their living standard, and there are a lot of black market real estate agents who help with paperwork.
People in Centro Habana tend to have little privacy. The lack of available apartments complicates relationships, often keeping young people from marrying, and forcing many married couples who break up to continue living together for lack of other real estate options.
Cubans are able to rent hotel rooms these days, but the prices tend to be set for tourists. Up until recently, however, there used to be more than 100 posadas in Havana, love hotels where rooms were rented by the hour. Due to the severe lack of residential units, these posadas were converted into apartments in 2003. Since then, lovemaking, and life in general, has become much more difficult in Centro Habana.