Picnic
There
are four different types of green areas in the city: those for public
use, such as parks and squares; those of environmental value, whether public or private, which serve an important function in the sustainability of the city, such as refilling aquifers; there are also ecological reserves, where native species are preserved; and finally, areas of agricultural production, including fields of crops. According to the norm recommended by the UN, there should be 16 square meters of green area per capita. If we are to include open spaces, which in many cases are simply wastelands without any ecological value, there are 8.2 square meters of green area per citizen in Mexico City, and 7.9 square meters in the suburban belt. Yet the problem is not the figure per capita, but rather the distribution. In some places, such as in the borough of Álvaro Obregón, there are 29.7 square meters of green area per person, while in other areas, such as the municipality of Chimalhuacán in the State of Mexico, there are none. This inequality in distribution and access to green areas is due to a lack of urban planning in a city that continues to expand, and is also due to the structure of social inequity. Between 1936 and 1939 the majority of the national parks and the protected areas of the Mexican Basin were legally demarcated. The protected areas of Mexico City, covering 60% of the total area of the Federal District, are mostly to the south and west, where the mountains represent a natural obstacle to the city’s expansion, which has taken place mainly towards the north and east of the basin. The fact that they are protected areas has not been a deterrent for partial occupation by irregular settlements and housing developments. This is due to the inefficacy of protection strategies. In recent years a number of governmental and community initiatives have sought to protect green areas and introduce them where there are none. However, awareness campaigns are also needed for citizens to appreciate the damage caused order to provide the city with natural ‘lungs’ and recreation areas, just planting trees ≥ Dante Busquets. (Photo / Foto).
(eucalyptus, ash, she-oak) is not enough; rather, it is necessary to come up with a strategy of integral conservation.
Urban Jungle
by rubbish dumps on these green areas. Reforestation programes have shown that in
• Grupo de Diseño Urbano. The Post Industrial Future of Mexico City. (Project / Proyecto / Projekt). P 246
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