Better City International Forum: After 19S, how to build a better city?

On Friday, January 26, the Better City International Forum took place in Mexico City. The event convened key figures from the Mexico City (CDMX) government, academia, the business sector, and civil society to outline a vision for turning this great metropolis into an exemplary city by strengthening the roles of each sector.

Experts from Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley, the Catholic University of Chile, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM)—alongside representatives from institutions such as the Wellington City Council in New Zealand, Chile's Ministries of Housing and Public Works, Habitat International Coalition-Latin America, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)—agreed that the best-functioning cities are those where all stakeholders are involved and work together with a long-term vision, and above all, operate with transparency.

Although the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (ZMCDMX) is geographically located in a natural hazard zone, forum participants—who have lived, studied, and learned to solve urban development challenges—noted that following the earthquake of last September 19, a comprehensive preventive strategy must be implemented to prepare for future events, helping to limit losses and shorten recovery times. They also proposed that reconstruction is not merely a phase, but a state policy, and that immediate post-emergency decisions are typically the ones that will prevail in the long run.

Dr. Mary Comerio, of the University of California, Berkeley, CA, highlighted three fundamental points to consider in the post-earthquake reconstruction process. First is ensuring transparency regarding the type and source of funding, whether from government, the private sector, or international organizations. Second, she noted that during reconstruction, it is crucial to consider public input, particularly from those affected, and to maintain transparency in the discussion of actions to be taken; when community and official perspectives align, collaboration becomes smoother and more efficient. Finally, she stated that forward-thinking and achieving a consensus-based vision of the desired destination will promote the construction of a safer city.

During the forum, it was pointed out that although the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (ZMCDMX) is geographically located in a natural hazard zone, its growth from 2000 to 2015 was 3% in population and 20% in housing. The current urban model is flawed; the city must stop expanding under a framework hostile to its surroundings, the environment, and society itself. Consequently, experts urged residents of the capital to envision the Mexico City they want for 2025 or 2050, as that is the city that will be built in the coming years.

For her part, Carolina Rodríguez Roldán, Executive Director of Mejor Ciudad, acknowledged that the city's stakeholders are numerous and its direction is the responsibility of all its inhabitants. She highlighted the need to improve infrastructure and housing options to prevent displacing residents to municipalities in the surrounding metropolitan area. It is concerning that, daily, over 1.4 million people commute from metropolitan municipalities to work in CDMX. Furthermore, 38% of formally employed individuals spend more than an hour on their commute; therefore, as an organized civil society, we must help achieve better planning.

Finally, the forum addressed the need to foster a civic culture of resilience, concluding that it is in the public interest to align common well-being and to secure and honor the commitment of all sectors involved to build a Better City.

Mejor Ciudad

This civil association, through cooperation and consensus-building among various stakeholders, analyzes, proposes, implements, and evaluates solutions to urban development challenges in the Valley of Mexico Metropolitan Area (ZMVM), contributing to the progress of a more sustainable, prosperous, and equitable city. Its objective is to work alongside urban change agents representing all levels of government, civil society organizations, citizens, academia, and the private sector to analyze and discuss city challenges, as well as ways to address them.

www.mejorciudad.org (@MejorCiudad_AC)