Mexico City

what is mexico city’s site

began as a settlement on an island in lake texcoco and is in the valley of mexico

what is mexico city’s situation

mexico city is located on the central plateau, a flat landscape surrounded by volcanoes

what is the connectivity and culture of mexico city

major highways make it a major link between north and south america and is the largest spanish speaking country in the world

what is the role of mexico city’s cbd

main financial hub characterised by office blocks, and government buildings. It attracts high-value retailers and has a mixture of colonial-era buildings and modern landmarks

what is the role of the inner city

characterised by slums first built in the 19th century

what is the role of the suburbs

characterised by middle-class housing with tight security in affluent areas

what is the role of the rural-urban fringe

newest buildings with unregulated shanty town developments

what are some reasons for population growth in mexico city

-rural to urban migration

-natural increase

-economic investment and growth

how has rural to urban migration affected population growth

-people left the countryside in search for better jobs, better housing, schooling and modern healthcare to escape the hardships of the countryside

how has natural increase increased population growth

-in the 1950s-1980s there was a fall in death rate leading to a natural increase and an increase in birth rate aswell

how has economic investment/growth increased population

-attractions due to job prospects in factories and offices as economic investment was channelled into the city

what is the cause of national migration

people moving into the city to search for better living standards and jobs

what is the cause of international migration

growth in jobs in offices and factories attract migrants from around the globe but international migrants tend to live in wealthier areas

what is the impact of migration

-pressure on housing remains high, with more people building informal settlements and international migrants living in wealthier homes close to the city

-mostly young people migrate so the population is getting younger

-difficulties in supplying clean water with rising demand

-crime rate has increased due to lack of jobs and leads to gated communities

has growth of the city been accompanied with extreme poverty

-minimum wage should be $4 a a day but 1/3 workers are paid less, CBD wages are much higher with the top 20% of earners earning more than x13 than the bottom 20%

-average disposable household income in 2023 was $19,102 lower than the average of $30,490

what are the reasons behind differences in quality of life

-people who recently arrived from rural areas are poor and live in informal housing

-wealthier people tend to be with more political power and reside in the city

-poorer people work longer hours, 27% of employees work very long hours

what are the challenges associated with the city’s rapid urbanisation?

-housing shortages

-illegal squatter settlements with no running water or electricity

-under-employment as people work longer hours

-informal employment due to high job competition

-inadequate services

what are some statistics regarding housing shortages?

-in 2024, atleast 11,000 homes a year would need to built to meet demand but in 2013, only 1701 homes were built and only 12% of those were affordable

what are some statistics regarding informal employment/under employment

-mexico city has 20% of the world’s population and produces 28% of the country’s national wealth

-60% of jobs in mexico city are informal, e.g. 69% of house building and 29% of taxis are unofficial

-in the city centre there are 26,000 street sellers

-employment is insecure and open to exploitation, pay is often low and makes it hard for workers to survive

how is air pollution a challenge coming from rapid growth

-mexico city is surrounded by mountains and so traps pollutant particles which cause eye sores, lung disease, e.t.c.

what are some statistics regarding waste pollution

-mexico city generates 14,000 tonnes of rubbish a day and the waste disposal system can only remove around 10,000 tonnes a day and the rest is dumped in open ground

-70 million tonnes of rubbish have been buried underneath waste dumps which pollute water supplies

-32% of waste is recycled whilst the rest goes to landfill

what are some statistics regarding water shortages

-water has to be pumped form reservoirs 96km to the west

-this water system was operating at a historic low of 27% in 2023

-water rationed in 284 neighbourhoods that year

what are some bottom-up projects

-neza squatter settlement houses 1.2 million people founded in the 1960s and in 1965 formed a comittee to negotiate formal land ownership with municipal government

-Xocoyotzin children’s day care centre uses local people’s savings and staffed by volunteers, running costs are covered by local people who pay $41 a month to use the centre and save the children NGO

-local people formed committees to negotiate cheaper contracts for weekly water delivery by ‘pipe’ water tankers

-architect tatiana bilbao designed an affordable style of housing made from wooden pallets costing $8000 each

-cultiva ciudad is working with local schools to educate children on how to manage a garden

what are some pros of bottom-up projects

-planned by local people and so addresses the most urgent issues

-uses local labour and resources and so can be started quickly

-small scale so no need for government intervention

what are some cons of bottom-up projects

-small scale so doesn’t address larger issues

-slow completion due to relying on local volunteers and people to do the work

-lack of expertise and investment

what are some top-down projects

-metrobus rapid transit system moves 250,000 people per day on 16 routes using modern articulated buses seating 160 people started in 2005

-new buses have reduced carbon monoxide and particulates by 50% since 2010/9700 tonnes p.a

-building a new $2b underground train line which reduces the numbers of cars, cuts average commuting times from 150 to 78 minutes and encourages people to go electric

-in 2007, mexico city implemented a green management intiative and published a 20 year green plan which focuses on public spaces, waste handling, e.t.c.

-air pollution is down 57% from levels in 2000

-Mercado de Trueque/barter market set up in 2011 in a large park west of the capital as residents received vouchers for bringing in paper, scrap, e.t.c.

-3000 families lined up on its opening day with 11 tonnes of recyclabes in its first day and happens every sunday

what are the pros of top down projects

-political support and investment needed to make it happen

-creates work for people in the city

-possible to deal with large-scale issues

what are some cons of top down projects

-they can take a long time to be put into action

-they may suffer from budget cuts or corruption

-they don’t involve local people who feel alienated

what are some social policies the government is doing to improve quality of life

-2/3 of population in mexico city live in squatter settlements so the government is building low cost residential developments on the rural-urban fringe with reduced rent

-however some migrants are too poor to even pay the reduced rent

what are some economic policies the government is doing to improve quality of life

-1/3 workers in informal sector and earn less than minimum wage of $4 a day

-2020 Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum launched $1.8 billion economic reactivation plan aiming to create 300,000 formal sector jobs.

-15,000 new jobs to be created cleaning up parks & public squares, & removing graffiti for salary $690 per month in ‘Improving Our City, Our Home’ scheme.

-New $15 million recycling plant to be constructed by municipal government in Vallejo district, creating jobs both constructing & running plant.

what are some government policies regarding the environment to improve quality of life

-Air pollution in Mexico City is estimated to cause 6% of all deaths.

-Car drivers are prohibited from using their vehicle one day per week, increasing public transport use.

-Metrobus transit system

-Air pollution decreased by 35% compared to 2000