Mexico's Urban Improvement Program
For five decades, few architects had public or social commissions in Mexico, and it was not until the election of the left‑wing political party Morena in 2018 that selected architects were given the opportunity to design for the wider population. During his six‑year term in office, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) wants to bring about a better future for neglected populations by implementing roughly a thousand urban infrastructure projects in Mexico’s poorest and most dangerous neighbourhoods with the Urban Improvement Program.
But there is a lack of time, money and experience among most of the people involved, as well as a lack of expertise and interest in maintenance after completion. For a project to have the best chance of long‑term survival, adoption by the population and the lowest possible maintenance requirements are crucial. In Mexico City I had an opportunity to talk to Mr. Román Meyer Falcón, a prominent figure in the field of urban and agrarian development, currently serving as the Secretary of Agrarian, Land, and Urban Development (SEDATU) in Mexico.
Mr. Meyer Falcón's extensive background in public service and urban planning has positioned him as a key advocate for equitable and inclusive urban development in Mexico. His leadership has played a significant role in shaping policies and initiatives that promote affordable housing, land rights, and sustainable urban growth. In addition to his national role, he holds the position of President of the UN Habitat Assembly. In this capacity, he spearheads international intergovernmental efforts to address global urbanization challenges, working toward the implementation of sustainable urban development goals on a global scale.
‘The work of architects on public projects in Mexico goes far beyond mere design’
Who, how and why started this process of the Program of Program Improvement?
RMF: When we started this administration in 2018, we had already worked in advance with the transition team of Mr. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, now President. The idea was how we could establish a comprehensive program that could address the major needs in urban contexts of high marginalization; that is, those neighborhoods lacking water, electricity, drainage, paving, basic services, infrastructure. We set out to create a comprehensive program to make these facilities and public spaces that do not exist in the neighborhoods of greatest marginalization, which, unfortunately, often —not always— are the neighborhoods with the highest crime insecurity.
The new public market in Huimanguillo, Tabasco by 128 Arquitectura y Diseño Urbano replaces the old, which was affected in its infra and superstructure derived from the lack of maintenance and the high level of corrosion. Photo © F8PHOTO, Alejandro Gutiérrez
In addition to this issue, the Program not only makes facilities and public spaces with an added value —architecture—, but also, in the vicinity of the works, of a plaza, of a sports facility, within 500-600 meters, we provide direct housing support so that women, in particular, can make improvements: build a bathroom, add a second level, install a water tank, make a door, apply waterproofing. They are not given the money directly. Also, within the same radius, 500-700 meters from a facility, we deliver public deeds; that is, the documentation or possession title that proves that people own their house. The fourth element of the Program is that in those same municipalities we update the urban development plans, which are the basis for the granting of construction permits. So, these are the four components of the Program: public facilities spaces, housing actions, regularization of land tenure actions, public deeds, and something very important for us, the issue of planning; that is, these documents that grant construction permits, that establish where we should not urbanize, where we should and how we should do it as efficiently as possible: where housing goes, where commerce goes, where infrastructure goes, etc.
The renovation of the Old Municipal Trail in San Cristobal de las Casas by LAU creates new public spaces that allow the integration with the cultural elements that are part of the collective memory. Photo © Jaime Navarro
And the component for which I imagine this interview is about is one of the four pillars of the Program, which is the facilities. When we analyzed this, at that time with Mr. López Obrador, we put on the table, sort to speak, the possibility of addressing a specific type of infrastructure. Commonly, when talking about public infrastructure or urban services, water, paving, lighting are thought of as the most important. But there is a type that we think is the most important urban infrastructure of all, which brings together all the elements: and that it is public space, which combines water, light, drainage, paving, vegetation. And in neighborhoods with lag or marginalization, it is a very often lacking element, and that is where we work in those neighborhoods.
Chicxulub Market Square by MMX Studio improves the square and the construction of the market. Photo @ Dane Alonso
We have worked in advance with the communities. This means that 8 months or maybe a year before a backhoe comes in to do the foundation, we had participatory workshops with the community, with the local authorities, sometimes with the State government, to tell them “well, of all the needs you have, let's define which are the most important." So they tell us "well, for us a high school is very important, because our children currently take an hour and a half to go to the closest one, because we don't have one." Alright, then we ask "what else?", considering that we have a limited budget. And we work on a program based on the main needs.
Which were the criteria of the selection of the communities and location?
RMF: Primarily, in 60% or 70% of the cases, the locations correspond to places where the Federal Government has some major infrastructure project. So, this means, for example: the Maya Train corridor, which is 1600 km long; the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Corridor, which is 400 km; the vicinity of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport; the northern border with the United States, which was more of a fiscal incentive project. That's where the program supports the large federal infrastructure investments with its four components. So, we attend or accompany these large developments. For example, in the case of the Maya Train, some neighboring municipalities: having a train station does not mean that there are automatic immediate urban benefits. So, to avoid having, let's say, elements of great contrast, if the train station influences or benefits a population one or two kilometers away, we still have very lagging neighborhoods further away. So, we do complementary actions in those surrounding areas, but far from the train station itself.
Bacalar Ecopark by Collective C733 reduces the requested program to a minimum and act with actude to be able to wander through the natural richness of the flora and fauna of the site, affecting as little as possible. The lagoon is in the largest freshwater bacterial reef in the world. Photo © Rafael Gamo
So in every location you kind of need to do the preliminary research of what the community needs?
RMF: Yes, we arrive with a team of urban planners, architects, sociologists, so that they can start working as quickly as possible with the communities and with the local authorities. And that's where we make a basic master plan of the city. We say, "well, the marginalization of this city, which is in the middle of the Maya Train path, is more prevalent in these neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are the ones with the greatest lack of basic services." And among those basic services lacking, we focus on public space. So, we go from the general to start defining polygons or neighborhoods, and once we have those polygons, with densities, with levels of marginalization and needs, we go to the chosen neighborhoods and conduct participatory workshops in coordination with the municipality. And there we start to cross the different interests: because, for example, the municipality might say "I want this," which is usually what the Mayor has in mind. But it is also important to attend to the Mayor, because otherwise he will say "you never asked me what to do, so why do I have to maintain and operate the space?". So, we have to cross-reference the needs of the community and the local authority, so that, as far as possible, both parties are satisfied and say "well, maybe it wasn't what I wanted, but I agree that a high school should be built"; "I agree that a fire station should be built"; "I agree that a public market should be built." With that, we define: we see what are the best possible lands, which can be granted to us by the local or state authority. Because we do not buy the land, it must be given to us as a donation, because the infrastructure is handed over to the municipalities; it belongs to them. That is, that high school belongs to the Municipality; that market belongs to the Municipality, that sports facility belongs to the Municipality. We do not keep the infrastructure: it is a federal Program to support local authorities.
Museum of Geology by MMX Studio in Progreso, Yucatan is a cultural element and an element of public space. Photo © Dane Alonso
How actually could you manage to make so many projects in such a short time?
RMF: It's an intensive job, there's no other way... A team effort, yes. But also I personally visit each of these facilities, on average, 10 times. Before the backhoe comes in, I check the plan, I tell them "yes, move the building, move it here, place it here, it's misoriented." I do other visits during the preliminary works, during the foundation stage, during the structure formation, during the configurations of facilities, during the masonry, finishing, and completion stages.
The Pyrotechnics Museum by Miguel Montor concerns a location that is recognized for its work with pyrotechnics at a national and international level for many years. As part of the request for post-pandemic economic recovery, it was proposed that the local workforce was to be used throughout the construction of the project, in order to generate employment. Photo © Onnis Luque
There's a very common phrase in Mexico that says: “a una orden dada, no supervisada, se la lleva la chingada”, that implies that if an instruction is given but not properly overseen or followed up on, it is likely to be neglected, forgotten, or poorly executed. Which is somewhat the nature of this administration and this government. The President is also a construction supervisor: every 15 days, for example, he goes to the Maya Train and checks the status of the project. And so, the only way to achieve these goals is for you to be physically supervising.
But you also work not only to check the work of architecture, also as you told you work very strongly with the communities. How do you get the trust of people?
RMF: I believe in trust, but also determination. Because we cannot afford to be ambiguous. We have so little time to complete these projects —because the program, from planning to the delivery of the work, has to ideally be done within a year or a year and a half—, so you have to close the fieldwork as quickly as possible: agree with the authorities and communities. Collaboration agreements are signed where it is stated 'yes, we all agree that we are going to make here the new public square' and everyone signs in understanding. And, as much as possible, as the construction process goes on, solve socialization problems.
Public works are a constant conflict. In general, construction is a conflict. If you build, it's a conflict, whether it's public or private. But when it's public, it's greater, because it is a matter of common interest; because public funds belong to everyone, to all Mexicans. So, let's say, many points of view, local interests come into play, which must be politically addressed as much as possible. Because otherwise, upon delivery, the reception and operation of the spaces can become a conflict. That's why we, every two months, go back to each space and do supervision work: we check if there is light, if the bathrooms are working, if they are open, if there are waterproofing problems, if the municipality is correctly giving operation and maintenance.
The renovation of the main square in Cosoleacaque, Veracruz by Colectivo MX, Gabriel Konzevik, Reyes Ríos and Larraín arquitectos improves the quality of social life based on an in-depth review of how and why people have used existing facilities. Photo © Andrés Cedillo - Grupo Provimex
So, it's not only about the construction, but also about following up every two months with the local authorities to see if they are using and taking advantage of them. And if not, you call the Mayor the Governor and say “listen, I have three abandoned projects in your state, what happened?”. So, it's a constant political pressure of supervision.
Something interesting is that almost all the facilities made in the first years, 2019 and 2020, are now active; I believe all of them. Because a political effort was made to ensure permanence. This means that when a work is delivered, it does not mean that it will function the next day. You have to wait approximately two years for a sense of permanence to consolidate among the community and the local authorities to understand that it is a place that needs to be followed up. So, after delivering a facility, you have to be two years behind those responsible.
And how did you do the selection of architects?
RMF: In the first year, we worked with UNAM’s Architecture Faculty, for better or worse. Because UNAM, which is the great National University, is also a very complicated bureaucratic apparatus, and when two bureaucratic apparatuses want to work in short times, it's a disaster. But aside from that, it gave me the opportunity to get to know the work of many architects. It was, let's say, a letter of introduction to good and not-so-good architects.
The House of Culture and the Kindergarten (CADI) in Tlatenchi by Taller CD represent two projects developed jointly, although in separate properties. Photo © Andrés Cedillo
After that year of work, in which the University and the Faculty made the executive projects, we were able to meet many architects and from there we began to define which ones were the good ones and for what types of projects. We chose many of them for other years insofar as they were architects or firms who are interested in reviewing the work on-site. Because there were some who delivered the executive project and afterwards never returned to the site.
The architect is forged in the field. Indeed, it is important that they enroll in a Faculty and study. But architecture is done in the field and, hence, the only way to learn is by stepping on the territory, there's no other way. So, we also got involved with those architects who we know return to the building sites, who supervise their own works without us having to pressure them; those who return, that review the project with the company, with the director, make their observations, and that when I see them —in those visits that I make— raise their hand and say what is wrong and, in front of the construction company, in the field, we debate.
How many architects are included in the Program?
RMF: Well, there must be more than a hundred, and all of them are nationals.
Can you present me with one of the studios?
RMF: Yes, for example, we have Loreta Castro from the firm Taller Capital. Just yesterday, we delivered a project of hers, the Bicentennial Park in the municipality of Ecatepec. It is the most intensively used urban park in the country, located in one of the poorest and most densely populated municipalities. It also serves as a regulating basin, capturing and filtering water due to significant water shortages in the area. We also have Gaby Carrillo, who has assisted us in many projects, as well as Estudio MMX, which is, let's say, "special," but good. Miguel Montor, who worked on the Mammoth Museum. They all teach somewhere...
What’s next? Will you continue to do this?
RMF: I believe so. You know, there's a saying: "an old monkey doesn't learn new tricks." At our age, we're already specialized in something. In our case, urban planning and architecture. It's very unlikely that I'll quit. So I have to stick with something I like; it's a vocation; something I enjoy despite the unfriendly bureaucracy and the fact that it is often tyring.
For instance, I like the project behind you: it's the new Agrarian Archive, the second largest and most important archive in Latin America, located on Reforma Avenue, the most important one in Latin America as well.
This section over here is a Botanical Garden, with sections that range from jungle to desert, with different lighting conditions. It also has a public plaza with a small skatepark. Below is the entire archive, and we have the bureaucratic part as well. This is an example of institutional projects that we undertake within the Ministry without architects. These are the types of projects that we have been very enthusiastic about. This particular project is already about 65% complete. The structure is already up, and we are working on coverings and facilities: there's, for example, an Agrarianism Museum, which will be made up of pieces that blend in with the landscape and the botanical garden. We have pieces from the National Institute of Anthropology and History from the 16th and 17th centuries, which we will use as references for why agrarianism in Mexico is so important.