Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Despite impressive economic growth and increasing prosperity, cities in Mexico do not seem to have fully captured the benefits of urban agglomeration, in part because of rapid and uncoordinated urban growth. Recent expansion of many Mexican cities has been distant, disconnected, and dispersed, driven mainly by large single-use housing developments on the outskirts of cities. The lack of a coordinated approach to urban development has hindered the ability of cities in Mexico to boost economic growth and foster inclusive development. It also has created a fissure between new housing developments and urban services, infrastructure, and access to employment. Mexico Urbanization Review: Managing Spatial Growth for Productive and Livable Cities in Mexico provides an analytical basis to understand how well-managed urban growth can help Mexican cities to capture the positive gains associated with urbanization. To this end, the authors analyze the development patterns of the 100 largest Mexican cities using a set of spatial indexes. They then examine how the recent urban growth has affected the economic performance and livability of Mexican cities and offer recommendations for adjusting urban policy frameworks and instruments in ways that support sustainable spatial development and make cities more productive and inclusive.
Synopsis
Urbanization in Mexico, as in other countries around the world, has increased prosperity and reduced poverty. However, despite impressive economic growth and prosperity, cities in Mexico do not seem to have fully captured the benefits from agglomeration, in part because of the way most Mexican cities expanded in the past. One of the key challenges facing many Mexican cities has been the rapid and uncoordinated growth of urban footprints. Over the past 30 years, the built-up area of Mexican cities expanded sevenfold and the urbanized areas of the 11 biggest metropolitan cities ninefold. This horizontal expansion has been driven mainly by large single-use housing developments on the outskirts of cities. The urban growth has largely happened unplanned and has been connected to the fissure between new developments and the provision of educational and health facilities, infrastructure, connectivity, and proximity of sources of employment. The way Mexican cities grew in the past has underutilized the cities potential to boost economic growth and foster social inclusion and livability. This Urbanization Review sets out to provide an analytical basis to understand how well-managed spatial growth can further contribute to unlocking the gains from urbanization. To this end, the report first analyzes the spatial development patterns of Mexican cities by creating a set of spatial indexes for the 100 largest cities and reviews the main policy shortcomings that have resulted in uncoordinated urban expansion. It also reviews the overall performance and remaining challenges for Mexican cities to transition into a high-income country and examines how recent urban spatial growth has affected economic performance and livability of Mexican cities. Based on the analysis, it offers adjustment to policy framework and instruments to support more sustainable spatial development and to make Mexican cities become more productive and inclusive."