Cuba As An Example Of Sustainable Living Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cuba As An Example Of Sustainable Living - Essay Example The country has relied on aid for several years in the past years, but due to its political inclination, it benefited a great deal from the collapsed Soviet Union. The Soviet Union used the country to propagate their ideology especially as a way of countering the American capitalism dominance. Since the attainment of independence in 1902, the republic of Cuba has passed through economic stormy periods characterized by its radical politics and social strife. The period of dictatorship characterized by the leadership of Fulgencio Batista before 1952 almost brought the country on its economic toes. The ousting of the dictatorial regime saw the full fledge of communism under Fidel Castro who gave more focus on military strength and less concern over the people. However, several economic developments were experienced during his tenure; some of the ideologies developed favoured the entire population at the expense of individuals. The Cuban population today relies mainly on food from Venezu ela after the collapse of the Soviet Union that provided him some good support. Cuba does not provide the best example of sustainable living because a century after independence the country still relies on foreign food aid coupled with a huge foreign debt and several other challenges. Cuba’s dark past was evident with the inability of the governments to enact concrete and sustainable economic policies to help the country get to an economic destiny. Fulgencio Batista turned the economy of Cuba upside down through his dictatorial regime. In 1959, he was overthrown by the July 26 Movement that was under the leadership of Castro (Coltman 1). They took over the country and imposed a purely communist regime. He received massive support from the Cuban peasants and workers because of the humiliation that they had faced under the ousted regime. The revolution brought up many changes, by 1960 Castro’s regime had expropriated up to 37% of the entire nation’s land and later on decided to nationalize the land, which stood at up to 80%, this was a landmark achievement because there has never been another country in the world to successfully implement such a policy. Most of the big companies and well established businesses were all nationalized resulting into suspicion by foreign countries especially the United States whose companies had been nationalized. It was reported that approximately sixty-one American sugar mills were victims of the new development. Largely, the nationalization policy did not find a solution to the predicaments of the poor workers but instead extended the exploitation (Uriarte 3). State apparatus were established that had control over the population’s social, economic and political life, a factor that not only attempted to make all people equal but also ruined the labour compensations turning them even more exploitative. The state apparatus created a lot of bureaucracy, Castro and his brother, Raul together with the July 2 6 Movement members were the dominant figures in dictating the policies of the country. The state owned all property that was being worked on by the members of the public who received poor wages, they had no option since the land and firms were purely owned by the state. The oppressive state apparatus were advanced by the establishment of the Ministry Of Industry in 1961that looked into policy

Evaluation of General Plan (urban planning course) Essay

Evaluation of General Plan (urban planning course) - Essay Example Additionally, the general plan seeks to enhance service delivery to the current residents of the city. The city has a general plan that provides an accurate guideline for ensuring economic development in the city. The authorities plan to improve the workforce, create jobs, maintain local airports, and improve the downtown area. Early this year, the planning and development department of the city of Phoenix developed and updated an elaborative and achievable general plan. The final plan was hugely based on the community suggestion and feedback concerning various economic problems in the city. As a result, the planning commission supported and approved the general plan on January 13, 2015. The city plans to improve on the type of labor force available. According to the article Plan PHX. 2015 General Plan, the economic growth and development sterns from skilled, competent, and qualified workforce in the city (94). Consequently, the expansion and building of more schools and training centers is the foundation for the city’s economic growth. Furthermore, the authorities plan to adequately fund and provide necessary resources in these training facilities. It leads to increase in the number of individuals with recognized credentials and certificates. Such an influx of professionals is a sign of economic gr owth and development. Additionally, the authorities plan to maintain and expand the airports available in the city since it is vital to economic growth and movement of people. The airports in the city are essential and necessary for bringing various businessmen and investors in the city. Furthermore, these airports generate massive revenue for the authorities. The revenues collected from businesses within the airport premises are essential in improving local infrastructure and financial strength of the city. Besides, the presence of businessmen and investors in Phoenix city is a positive and encouraging sign of