INSIGHT
LEGISLATION, TRANSPARENCY KEYS TO URBAN DEVELOPMENT DAVID BALTAZAR Former President of Colegio de Urbanistas de México 45
As cities grow denser, mobility, housing and water problems
Public transport is important for solving mobility
are becoming the norm. Modifications to the country’s
problems but it also has its limits and must be integrated
Human Settlements Law and the legislating of Mexico City’s
well into the urban design. During the current political
Housing Law illustrate a desire to promote strategic growth
administration, no new metro lines were constructed
and curtail these issues. But the question remains: what
because the Metrobús was given priority. “The Metrobús
more needs to be done for Mexico to slow its development
is not a complete solution for a city’s mobility problems
to a more manageable pace?
because it is not designed for long distances,” Baltazar explains. “These types of MTS are best for interconnecting
“The main problem with Mexico’s development strategies is
different modes of transportation and if not done correctly,
that they do not reinforce the importance of urban planning.
it leads to high saturation of the system.”
According to legislation, housing dictates the development of the area around it but it would make more sense if urban
Mexico has not completely explored the possibilities
planning dictated where the next housing developments
for more involvement from the private sector into the
should be,” says David Baltazar, former President of Colegio
development of these types of projects. Although the public
de Urbanistas de México. As a civil association, Colegio de
sector is adopting the PPP scheme for more and more
Urbanistas de México brings together the country’s urban
projects, there are still many other ways it could be applied.
development specialists by providing specialized courses,
Investors are still hesitant to become more involved in the
conferences and training.
country’s infrastructure development due to the many legal gray areas that still exist, especially regarding the ownership
Urban Planning, according to Wharton University, is a
of land. “This type of legal uncertainty, along with dealing
process that seeks to control the development of cities
with ejidos and legal disputes, discourages investors,”
through local regulations and direct interventions, to meet
Baltazar warns. “The ROW and working with ejidos are
a number of objectives. Mexico created regulations and
some of the costliest processes in the construction of a
strategies to moderate urban sprawl but still, progress is
project and even to this day, there are still plots of land the
slow. “It is important to raise awareness not only among
ownership of which are unclear, even to SEDATU.”
the citizens but most importantly among the politicians who make these decisions,” says Baltazar. “Politicians in
At the moment, the country is experiencing a real-estate
Mexico are not interested in urban planning because urban
development boom. Mixed-use has become the industry’s
development is a long-term process that traditionally spans
most popular development but Baltazar does not see these
several political terms.”
as a comprehensive answer to the problem. “Mixed-use developments are band-aid solutions,” he says. “The idea
Baltazar explains that the country does not have a national
of mixed-used projects is to allow inhabitants to work, play
urban-planning strategy independent of six-year terms that
and live in the same area. The real problem is that not all
would allow new administrations to build the infrastructure
Mexicans have access to financing. These islands are not
necessary for future generations. The Mexico City Metro
made for everybody but rather for certain segments of the
system is an example of why it is so important that these
population that can afford it.”
plans exist. By now, the city should have more than 20 metro lines but because no government wants to make
Baltazar suggests a remedy for these infrastructure
this expansion a priority in its short term, the system’s
challenges may be better management of public funds.
development is postponed again and again. This not only
Money collected from fines or concessions go into the
applies to Mexico City but also to Queretaro, Guadalajara
federal fund and from there are allocated to other areas
and Monterrey.
that may not be within the same community.
