A new urban paradigm pathways to sustainable development

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It has been estimated
that USD2 billion per year
are lost in the Mexico City
Metropolitan Area alone
as a result of a deficient
transportation system for
the working class.
FIGURE 1: Examples of locations of housing developments within
the three major metropolitan zones in Mexico, 2015
1
2
3
Valle of Mexico
Metropolitan Area
MC
MC
Guadalajara
Metropolitan Area
4
5
6 7
Monterrey
Metropolitan Area
MC
8
MC: Metropolitan Core. Housing developments: 1. Santa Teresa /2. Villas de La laguna /3. Paseos de San
Juan /4. Chulavista /5. La Capilla /6. San Miguel Residencial and Villas de San Francisco /7. Real de Palmas
Source: INFONAVIT (2015, 70).
governments as key stakeholders for
building metropolitan governance.
In addition, it is desirable that
urban municipal plans come from
metropolitan plans, to build a
participatory vision of the totality
(metropolis) first, and of its parts
(municipalities) afterwards.
y • The official recognition of the right of
all citizens to the city metropolis: Since
the National Supreme Court of Justice
ruled that international agreements
signed by the Mexican government are
to become law, the first article of the
Constitution was amended to endorse
all human rights, thus becoming the
reference for a full recognition of
the human right to the city.
• y Spatial planning needs to move
towards a more consolidated and
compact metropolitan spatial pattern:
In this regard, policies have to
be set up to approach the public
space not only as a key instrument
to make the right to the city a
reality, but also to use it within
neighbourhoods as the cornerstone
of a more compact city.
• y A national urban land policy is needed
to recover the social function of urban
land: Occupying vacant urban areas,
recycling unoccupied homes and the
supply of well-located housing plots for
poor people in urban areas should be the
priority for all three tiers of government.
• y Effective spatial governance requires
ensuring real and jointly responsible
participation of citizens, social
organisations and enterprises in urban
planning, and in the decision-making
process affecting the everyday lives
of urban communities:
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