Achieving sustainable urban mobility through participation
In Mexico, interesting attempts regarding participative citizenship and urban planning have been taking place. There is not a long tradition of consulting the population for mobility or urban infrastructure plans, but this is crucial for achieving sustainability. Though in most part of this country, democracy doesn’t go beyond than direct representation, this has started to change. People are raising their voices to incise on public policy. Grassroots initiatives are starting to be heard in the largest cities of the country, making way for other cities to join in.
Guadalajara has stepped into the scene by planning the most extensive cycle road in all Mexico. Thanks to the participation of Guadalajara citizenship, the pertinence of building more roads throughout the city to enable cyclists to transport, was highlighted recently. Since 2009[1], the Citizens Council for Non-Motorized Mobility has been working to include different groups for the discussion of alternative routes and engaging the community in alternative transportation. Today, a 180 km amplification of the bike road has been approved by citizenship participation with over 70% approval.
In Mexico City, a new airport began its construction plans in 2001. After communities protested and a revolt was silenced, the project stopped, until it was re-initiated in 2014, with a slight variation in its location. The project has been long questioned, due to its corruption suspicions, violation of human rights and largely to its environmental impact[2]. With the arrival of the new government, elected in 2018, the project was submitted to national consultation, and the project was declined. Over 70% of the voters[3] didn’t want the airport to continue its construction, and the elected president has announced its cancellation.
A university-led revitalization initiative, Distrito Tec, works with the community and the government, piloting more compact metropolitan districts in Monterrey. The initiative proposes increased access to public spaces, walking and cycling trips, countering the car-oriented policies in place. The project would ultimately foster social cohesion, which had been severely damaged during the past decade due to increased levels of violence in the region. An ambitious desire to transform the urban landscape has a special component: involving all stakeholders in the community, from residents to business leaders[5].
Why is participation so important for achieving sustainability?
According to the Institute of Transport for Development Policies (ITDP), over 90% of the federal budget for mobility, will be used for expansion and maintenance of the road (for cars) infrastructure[4]. This follows the tendency of increment of more than 300% of car ownership since the early nineties throughout the country. Following the same logic, the construction of the new airport was justified due to a saturation of the only city airport.
Even following tendencies, one would notice that as much as car ownership has increased in Guadalajara, still, 60% use public transport as the main means of transportation in their daily life. In the case of Mexico City, only 20% of the population uses the airport, and severe community and ecological damage would take place in the construction of the new airport. How do tendencies solely justify this disparity? It would be fair at least, listen to the population that is going to be affected by major urban projects. Population needs can be determined by including citizens in the planning processes.
In Mexico, interesting participatory practices have been taking place. However, these practices are still an “experiment”. Some of these practices lack legitimacy and institutional support. The types of consultations like the one that took place in Mexico City are not yet legal, and thus, are subject to the willingness of rulers to listen to the population. Participation of the society is still seen as unnecessary, even as obstructing common interest. As a result, participatory practices are still taking place only on the sidenotes. The civil society still needs to fight its way to be heard, being far from the natural process of democracy.
The beforementioned examples are a window to countless opportunities for better urban policies. Governments can find in them, longer-term, truer forms of sustainable initiatives than they would by leaving them aside. Governments can find in people’s participation a way of making more meaningful and effective investments, having long-lasting support from committed citizens. To achieve true sustainability is not enough only bringing experts to the table, but actually listen to the population that is going to be affected either positively or negatively by it. Major legal and political steps to include this participation as a step for urban planning is thus crucial in this country.
[1] See López-Acosta, A. ¿Cómo hacer de la bicicleta una opción real para la movilidad de Guadalajara?. (2015). Retrieved 6 Marchl 2019, from https://www.iteso.mx/web/general/detalle?group_id=1972257
[2] See https://ejatlas.org/conflict/actualizacion-atenco-aeropuerto-internacional-mexico
[3] See Animal Político. Adiós al NAIM: La opción de construir pistas en Santa Lucía gana en la consulta convocada por López Obrador. (2018). Retrieved 18 February 2019, from https://www.animalpolitico.com/2018/10/consulta-aeropuerto-resultados-amlo-santa-lucia/
[4] See Covarrubias, O. (2015). En tres años ha disminuido en 19% los usuarios del transporte público: Jalisco Cómo Vamos. Retrieved 1 March 2019, from http://www.jaliscocomovamos.org/1406
[5] See Distrito Tec in Prize for Cities, World Resources Institute. Retrieved 3 February 2021, from https://prizeforcities.org/project/distritotec
