Gentrification in Guadalajara: Neo-Hygienism and Public Space

Overview

Gentrification described as a social cleansing process; urban spaces become exclusive for elites, with displacement of the poorer population.
The discourse of public-space recovery hides private and government interests gaining from urban restructuring.
Globally, gentrification promotes a consumption pattern centered on imported or allegedly sustainable goods, widening the gap between rich and poor.

Gentrification: urban transformation driven by private interests that reduces access for long-time residents and transforms spaces into assets for higher-income groups.
Neo-hygienism: a project that sanitizes the urban center by removing ambulantes and tianguistas, creating a pristine city that serves as a brand/product rather than a lived public space.

Displacement of the working class to peripheral or depressed areas.
Privatization and commodification of public space; spaces become owned or controlled by private interests or exclusive groups.
Transformation of the city into a marketable brand, prioritizing elites and corporate interests over open, inclusive urban life.
Growth of a luxury, car-centric urban form; parks and plazas replaced by enclosed centers and malls.
Emergence of new consumption patterns and social segregation, with poorer residents mimicking gated living.

Mercado Corona: traditional herb and snack market converted into a mall-like building with escalators and a large parking lot; described as a five-story, warehouse-like structure similar to typical mall design; viewed as a first sign of broader gentrification in Guadalajara.
Ciudad Creativa Digital: tech-centered development announced in 2012; central urban spaces redirected away from popular uses toward corporate activities; limited progress and reduced venues for the city’s common people.
These projects illustrate the shift from public spaces to private, branded spaces and the resulting loss of empowerment for the Guadalajara working and middle classes.

Closed, exclusive spaces reduce public access and everyday political and social participation in the city.
Increased reliance on automobiles; more closed, private spaces in periferal luxury developments.
The perception of public safety and order drives exclusionary urban planning, while the general population’s access to the center diminishes.
The middle class, and later poorer populations, internalize and reproduce gated, sanitized urban living patterns.

Horacio Espinosa Zepeda (Observatorio de Antropología del Conflicto Urbano, Univ. de Barcelona): describes the gentrification process as a form of neo-hygienization that reinforces urban branding and privatization of public spaces.
Alessandra Cireddu (ITESM, Guadalajara): argues that enclosed luxury centers erode the traditional public city and hinder walkability, social mixing, and diverse urban life.
Studies cited discuss evictions of street vendors (tiangueros), privatization of downtown areas, and the view of the center as a brand to be sold in parts.

Reframing urban development to balance private investment with open, accessible public spaces.
Protecting street-level commerce and informal workers to maintain diverse and inclusive city life.
Monitoring privatization trends that convert public assets into branded, exclusive spaces.