With 75% of the Capital To Be Rebuilt, Haiti Officials Consider Moving

Haiti's official seismologist predicted the earthquake, and says the capital is in a high-risk zone for future quakes. With funds coming in to rebuild, the decision is pressing.

1 minute read

February 3, 2010, 2:00 PM PST

By Tim Halbur

Bernard Etheart, head of the government's institute for land reform, would like to see the government invest in Haiti's smaller cities.

Clemens Höges writes, "Etheart has a plan that could solve the country's problems. He opens a file and pulls out a piece of paper, a graph taken from a study conducted by a colleague. It illustrates Haiti's vicious circle: The government invests its money in the capital, but this only aggravates the country's poverty. As the capital becomes more attractive for migrants from the countryside, the state is forced to spend more money, becoming even poorer in the process.

"It is now time to break through this vicious circle," says Etheart."

Dessalines, a small town that was capital of Haiti in 1803, could be a possible location to rebuild the government center.

FULL STORY: Haiti Debates Moving Its Capital

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 in Spiegel International

Government / Politics Land Use Central and South America haiti Port-au-Prince

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