Mexico City Center Revitalization

In 2005 the greater Mexico City area had a population of 19.2 million, making it the largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere and the second-largest in the world. In terms of mass transit, its Historic Center is one of the most accessible locations in the city, and has the greatest concentration of walking and cycle-taxi trips in the metropolitan region.

The revitalization of the Historic Center is critical to the long term sustainable development of the broader city. Unfortunately, the Historic Center is currently in a state of deterioration. Many buildings are abandoned or in a state of advanced deterioration, and illegally occupied. Investment required to revitalize this area is obstructed by poorly regulated vendor activity, criminality, litter, graffiti, lack of modern building infrastructure, unclear ownership of land, and other factors.

Already some investment is being attracted back to the western part of the Historic Center, but this trend could be greatly accelerated by smart public sector intervention. Such intervention could make dramatic reductions in air pollution, traffic congestion, and greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention the economic benefits of additional revenues from tourist-related industries.

If the decline of the center can be reversed, a new, pedestrian and transit oriented Historic Center could become a symbol of a new Mexican cosmopolitanism, attracting investors and tourists from the world over.

With support from the Hewlett Foundation and the Clinton Climate Initiative, ITDP has initiated a project with the Mexico City government to provide technical support for the revitalization of the Historic Center. The project emphasizes reducing emissions by encouraging people to use less energy-intensive modes of travel.

Technical assistance will be provided for the following actions:

—Designate a Historic Center Redevelopment Zone and a management authority to regulate this zone responsible for:

• Managing the urban revitalization planning and implementation efforts
• Ensuring ongoing street cleanliness and maintenance
• Organizing events to attract people to the Historic Center particularly in the evenings and on weekends.
• Supplementing public security
• Managing and controlling on street and off street parking and street vending activity in the area.

—Extend mass transit services to the Historic Center

—Rationalize parking in the historic Center

—Create a Historic Center “traffic cell” that further restricts through-traffic from passing through the city center and provides access to motorists with destinations within it.

ITDP will also concentrate its efforts as part of the team developing Mexico City’s bicycle master plan to plan routes that connect to the Historic Center.

For more information about this project, contact:

Bernardo Baranda