Puerto de Boniato, Alternatives for a Sustainable Development

The settlement of Puerto de Boniato, in the region of Santiago de Cuba, presents a scenic site. Yet, in recent years the area’s environmental qualities have deteriorated, especially those of its natural landscape, something which has affected the quality of life of the inhabitants as well as the influx of tourists to the existing recreation center. This study is based on a diagnosis and evaluation ofthe area’s environmental qualities and the potential of its rural landscape for tourism, with a view to proposing a strategy for sustainable environmental management. It draws up a preliminary proposal for the environmental management of the settlement concerned and its surroundings. The preliminary design scheme proposed here has been based on a consideration of the concepts of environment, sustainability and environmental quality, with the aim of improving the quality of life of the settlement’s rural inhabitants. KeyWoRds: Environment, environmental planning, rural settlement and sustainability, Puerto de Boniato, Santiago de Cuba Arquitectura y Urbanismo vol. XXXVI, no 2, 2015, ISSN 1815-5898 Recibido: 01/11/2014 Aprobado: 22/03/2015 Con Criterio/ Reconstruccion del patrimonio construido