A Retrospect on My Interest in Mexican Urbanism

When I was a child I used to look at the hillsides of Tijuana from my bedroom window. Sprawling with what I thought at the time was impossible density; I looked at the clusters of ramshackle construction through the smoggy air with fascination. Spending much of my life on the divide between Latin and Anglo America I was lucky to have my feet in several worlds both north and south, east and west. When I wasn´t living in Miami or San Diego, I was living in Las Vegas which was experiencing a rapid urbanization of its own, albeit more controlled than the one occurring in Mexico. It was this juxtaposition of responses to a common problem, existing under different political realities that drove my interest in urbanism and the environment.

Unlike most border kids, I wasn't just content looking at the other side. I had to experience the neighborhoods by myself, unsupervised and on my own terms. So without the approval or knowledge of my parents, I hopped on the San Diego Trolley and several short stops later I walked across the border and entered into México; 13, alone and completely naive. The political realities of the United States were different during the 1980´s and a child with no identification could pass easily between the two countries. This simple reality allowed me to explore a fascinating new world; and explore I did.

At first I kept it simple. I would spend hours walking around downtown and the older portions of the city. I was enthralled at the chaotic nature of the city. Thousands of people were walking the streets and the sidewalks were alive with vendors selling everything from food to tourist goods. The sounds, the smells, the colors and the very life of the place, filled me with an excitement that I had never felt before. But soon I grew accustomed to the noise, the frenetic pace and even the zebra painted donkeys. At the end of Revolucion was a giant red neon coca cola sign. It acted as a magnet for me, bringing me out of my comfort zone; so I followed it. The sign sat on the edge of the hills and eventually I started to walk into those hills. It was the hills that were the most fascinating thing for me, bringing me into a brand new environment in which I had never experienced before.

Unlike the more planned areas of Tijuana that were built during a time when the government actually had a handle on development, the hills were filled with informal settlements that were for me both scary and intriguing. Most buildings looked incomplete. Raw concrete and jagged rebar were as common as the use of old tires and pallets as construction materials. The infrastructure was hodgepodge or nonexistent. Litter filled the dusty streets. On the streets that were paved, potholes were the norm not the exception. Abandoned cars were everywhere as were piles of garbage left behind from illegal dumping.

What was most evident was the reality that this region was actually a desert and not an irrigated Garden of Eden, a stark contrast to even the poorest areas of San Diego. While I noticed the contrast, and was aware that the settlements were unplanned, I didn´t think much about why these areas were different. I just accepted it as the way things were. It wasn´t until later that I understood the reasons why these areas were built and with what environmental cost, as well as to why they never had an equivalent on the other side just a few miles north.

It was during this time that I realized that such rapid unplanned/organic growth had consequences. Untreated sewage poured into the Tijuana River out into the sea, only to be carried back into San Diego beaches making my trips to the beach a much more dangerous proposition. Hillsides collapsed during the winter rains, taking many poorly constructed homes down with them. Lowlands flooded and summer fires routinely burned the wooden homes to piles of cinder and rubble. Each situation had a human cost as well, but taken as a whole, I became even more absorbed by the dynamic nature of the region. In the Tijuana laboratory, who knew that I could learn so much?

My unsupervised trips into Tijuana without identification only lasted about a year. Eventually an immigration agent thought it suspicious that an unaccompanied minor was passing back and forth from Mexico to the United States. Unsure of my citizenship and with no identification to prove that I was from the United States, I was put into temporary custody until my father could pick me up. Needless to say, he wasn´t impressed with my adventurous nature. For the next two years, my trips into Tijuana were supervised by my parents……which means for a purpose and much more boring. Once I obtained my drivers license however, I began to resume my explorations into what was at the time, the most wildly different place I had ever been.

Admittedly, my time in Tijuana became less of a study in urbanism and more of a study into alcohol soaked sociology. An 18 year old drinking age coupled with my adventurous spirit became too seductive of a reality for me to ignore. So I did the usual rite of passage for any border kid and I partied like it was 1999. But even during this partying what I saw and experienced had worth. In my beer infused haze I saw contradictions of poverty and inequality coupled with a vice and corruption that exposed the darker aspects of the city. Rather than make me cynical, its tangible energy only fueled me towards a more comprehensive understanding of the unique complexities of the border environment.

In my thirst to know more about the dynamics of such an intense place, I eventually made Tijuana my home.....beginning a guided chain reaction that has allowed me to gain an intimate knowledge of the country, its culture, its history and its most pressing challenges…..sparking in me a passion that has pushed me towards education and careers in urban development, geography and the environment. Always new and always interesting it is a life path that I have never come to regret!

Morning Commute, Chilango Style!

Two weeks into the nasty grit of the Mexico City commute and I have come to a very strong conclusion. Public transportation, though comprehensive, is an inadequate mess. Without a car, the average citizen is presented with a multitude of options in getting around. The Metro subway system, the BRT Metrobus network and the city run Eco buses round out the options for city run transit but privately run systems also flood the city streets on a daily basis…..and are much more numerous. The Micros….the tiniest of the buses run in the hardest to reach areas of the city, the combis……..the micros’ larger cousin, services the more traveled routes, followed by the taxis, collective taxis with fixed routes, and the large buses run on the most heavily travelled routes. All modes have their pros and cons. The smaller buses are sometimes robbed as young delinquents hop in the front doors and leave through the back where there friends are waiting in a getaway car. The larger buses are much more crowded and uncomfortable due to overloading but are less likely to get robbed. Many of the buses, especially the smallest ones, are dirty and in ill repair. They blast music, have religious memorabilia scattered throughout and sometimes have drivers that drive aggressively and show little regard for human life. Though it seems, the more you pay to get on, the better conditions you will find. The buses are often slow, regardless of the type so you must plan plenty of time into your trip if things go wrong………and they often do. That being said, often you have no choice but to use these lumbering beasts because they are the only viable option. The Metro, Metrobus and Ecobus systems have fixed routes, are clean and will get you to your destination faster…….providing you are not using them during rush hour. During these hours of the morning and evening, the system is strained to its limits. During rush hour, transit is limited to a crushing standing room only, if you can even get onto the system at all. It is not uncommon do actually see people do a football charge into the cars in order to force themselves inside and once inside, it may be impossible to get out at your station. People are so locked into place because of over cramming, that they get even move enough to get out of the train. When someone does break the seal, people often tumble out onto the platform uncontrollably…often directly confronted with an equally dense wall of people trying to get into the train. All of this adds up to a pretty hellish commute for the average Chilango. While comprehensive, Mexico City has many problems in regards to its transportation network. If you are lucky enough to use the system during non peak hours you will have a very different opinion. It will serve your needs well and you will feel comfortable throughout. If you use the system during peak hours……well you are in for an adventure of sorts. If you can handle that sort of adventure, and many people can, then happy travels! For me, it is tolerable, though I know that I can’t do it forever. How I will cope with that, I can only guess. But for now I will continue to brave the adventure and have as much fun as I can while doing it. So goes life in Mexico City. Mexico City May be many things, but it is never ever boring!

Tec de Monterrey--Rockforestation 2012

Tecnologico de Monterrey is one of Mexico’s best private universities and they produce a great many events in our city. One of which is the annual Rockforestation concert which raises money to plant and protect trees in the forested mountain areas of our city. This was the second year for this event and the first one with a corporate sponsor, Volkswagen who was promoting their “Think Blue” campaign.

Just as in the previous year, a popular band headlined the charity concert. Last year was Los Klaxons and this year it was Division Minuscula, a rock band that also dabbles in some radio friendly sounds. In attendance were over a thousand people, mostly Tec students, who were huddled under the steel roof of the outdoor auditorium. In contrast to the unusually cold and damp weather these people were warmed up and ready to rock. Even a freak hail storm with marble sized stones couldn’t trample their mood…….the loud clacking from above only seemed to lift the spirits of each of the fans in attendance.



I had the good fortune to meet with Gabriela Ortiz, Executive Coordinator of the fund raising event. Ms. Ortiz stated that last year’s benefit resulted in 6,000 trees, all native, being planted in the Cumbres region of Monterrey. For those who don’t know, Cumbres is a mountainous area on the west side of town. This year she expects that they will plant even more trees thanks to increased attendance at the concert and also in part to the corporate sponsorship of the event.

Rockforestation is an excellent cause which needs to be promoted to greater audience. Monterrey Tec’s culture can be somewhat insular so they don't always get word out to the general public about important events and fundraisers……….or at least as well as they should. If the last two years of this event are any guide, next year’s event should be bigger than years past. But wouldn’t it be great to see it promoted city-wide? Hopefully it will. Until then, I’ll still make a point to attend every year. If I can help the environment in some small way and see some awesome performances like Division Minuscula in the process? Why the hell not!? :-)

My first environmental survey in Mexico.

The weather was perfect. Clear blue skies and no trace of the usual heat that bakes our city crispy crisp. What a great way to usher in my first experience doing environmental planning field work in Mexico. For roughly eight hours I walked a 200 acre parcel with a small team from Assesoria Urbanistica y Ambiental. The parcel, located in the rural outskirts of Villa Juarez, sits on the edge of the rapidly expanding exurbs of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.



The landscape was a collection on rolling hills which were covered by the typical Tamaulipan mezquital which is characteristic of this region. The biome was similar to the lands that I had surveyed in South Texas, though much drier due to a combination of higher heat, lower humidity, and lower rainfall. Despite the drier characteristics of this part of the region, the area had a high level of biodiversity than I had expected. There were obviously dominant communities of plant species commonly seen throughout the site. The real surprises where in apparent mutations of the dominant plant species in the area.



Mutations were varied but the most common were plants growing much larger than their expected normal size as well plant varieties that should have had spines but did not. This was the case with a beautiful blue agave in which we found under the protected canopy of a blooming huisache tree. The agave should have had the same characteristics as all of the surrounding agaves on the parcel but it was smooth and without any hint of the jagged teeth so commonly found with this local species.



There was also evidence of animal life all throughout the property. Most notable were the sun bleached bones and the piles of javelina hairs (wild pigs) evident in various locations around the property. In addition to the javelina, there were many varieties of birds, insects, and tarantulas…….which are all for the most part harmless. Not everything that roams the countryside is harmless however.

A very real danger in this region is rattlesnakes and while I did not see any of these dangerous and territorial reptiles, I did encounter several instances of hearing the rattle while I was walking though the scrubby underbrush. The signature rattle sends a message that says, “back off or suffer a serious consequence!”…..which is the least desirable sound that one wants to hear when walking in the middle of nowhere………Through years of experience living in and roaming around the Mojave Desert, that signature rattle is something that always keeps me on edge and aware of my surroundings.

Everywhere throughout this property, the evidence of old road cuts could be seen. These roads had been unused for many years and thus were covered by thick piles of dry and spiny plants and grasses….no doubt a large portion of this growth coming from the heavy rains of 2010 brought about by the destructive arrival of Hurricane Alex.



All along these long abandoned roads were piles of illegal trash dumping, some of which were burned and others which remained intact. The most common debris was that of tires, beer bottles and plastic but construction materials and electronic equipment were also visibly present wherever we walked. Contamination of the site was obviously something that will have to be looked at closely by the builders.



The state of Nuevo Leon demands that all development companies must provide environmental surveys and reports for all new projects built upon previously undeveloped land. In order to meet this mandate, companies hire private organizations like the one I was contracted to work for so that they can collect data and produce reports that satisfy the requirements of all local laws. Once the report is produced and all regulations have been met, the builders will begin to prepare the site for the eventual construction of over 6,000 new residences. In retrospect I would have to say it was an incredible learning experience.

Urban Planning in Mexico

Here in Mexico urban planning is more of an afterthought. Sure, some good projects are being built but they are often completely privatized, with little or no community involvement in the planning process. Often such impressive projects fail to integrate themselves into the surrounding neighborhoods thus becoming a fortress that separates rather than connects with the areas around the project…….at least in Monterrey. Mexico City is a whole other animal.

Many times these projects are megaprojects with higher residential densities that would normally support public transit but are built to support only the use of an automobile. The end result is an awkward product that feels somewhat soulless. It seems as if the local government approves the project but makes very little in the way of demands as to how the project will impact and integrate into the community.

From all that I can see, a sort of honor system must exist in which it is expected that the developer will comply to all the rules…..though they seldom do. Either that or it is the result of corruption. From my experiences working on the border however I would have to say it is a combination of corruption and incompetence. By incompetence I mean that governments operate in a reactive not proactive mode and do not have the resources or the organizational infrastructure to effectively monitor the realization of the projects being constructed. I would also imagine that there is a breakdown of communication between governmental departments as individual governmental entities tries to jealously guard their information, something that I have had firs hand experience combating from all my years working on both sides of the border.

This of course is all anecdotal and opinion based. I hope to learn more as I further explore issues and broaden my contact with people working in and with governmental planning entities in Monterrey and beyond.