The Control of Urban Expansion in Mexico City. Suppositions regarding a False Statement

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show that the planning mechanisms and/or instruments for controlling the expansion of Mexico City have largely failed due to their rigidity and the fact that they are plagued with technicisms, for they are rather inconsistent with proposals for social distribution found in urban policies. To this end, the author makes reference to the urban control strategy in the Federal District and a more detailed analysis is conducted of the "territorial reserve" and "Paint your line" programs in the conurbated municipalities of the State of Mexico, presenting specific evidence on the Chalco-Ixtapaluca zone.

Throughout the article, the author criticizes the lack of significant progress in planning the use of the land in Mexico City, since it does not provide for a treatment of the true processes and agents affecting real state that come into play in the appropriation of land, and the absence of options in metropolitan or regional projects that consider the type of demand (low-income) and its behavior (displacements and areas of greater pressure).