Metrobus Line 5 Unveiled Today at a Press Conference in Mexico City.

Today marked the official unveiling of the new Metrobus line which will be known as Line Number 5. At a press conference today on Mexico City’s Zocolo, the head of city government, Miguel Angel Mancera, announced the construction of the new line which will be the first in Mexico City to incorporate a “Complete Streets” design. As with most complete streets, the new line will integrate public transit, pedestrian circulation and bike routes. The new route will also accommodate a separate route for large trucks in order to improve traffic flow. In addition the city will construct hanging/vertical gardens and plant numerous trees along the new route which are meant to lessen the impacts of pollution.

The route will run from Rio de los Remedios in the north part of the city and end at the San Lazaro Metro Station in the center of the City. This is important because San Lazaro is the location of the TAPO bus station which ia one of the largest regional/national bus stations in the city, providing yet another level of connectivity for transit users. You can see the map of Route 5 in the graphic below.



Due to of the construction of this new line, many smaller, more polluting buses will be taken out of circulation. It is expected that the construction of the new Metrobus line will result in the removal of over 122,000 tons of pollution annually from the city’s notoriously polluted air, thus providing a cleaner and safer solution for Mexico City commuters and residents alike. According to city statistics, the new route is also projected to provide a 40% reduction in travel time based on today’s traffic counts.

The Secretary of Construction, Luis Albert Rabago, indicated that the total investment in the new project will cost 800 million pesos (64.7 million U.S. dollars) and benefit over 50,000 users per day. The new line will run more than 10 kilometers and will consist of 18 state of the art stations, which will be constructed using prefabricated modules which will save construction time and control costs on the project’s installation. Below is a photo of the model of a new station which was presented at today’s press conference.



The announcement of this line is the first on many more which are expected to be constructed across the city in the next several years. The first phase of this new line is expected to be operational within the next six months. Expect more information to be posted here as the construction of more lines are announced.

Big Changes: Mexico Unveils Its New Housing Policy

Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto recently presented his plans for National Housing Policy, all of which are directed at curbing the sprawl that has plagued Mexican cities, causing many social problems. The president´s plans are built around four main points that are meant to promote a new paradigm of urban development. These points are as follows:

1. Achieve coordination among all agencies and stakeholders

2. Promote sustainable development

3. Make it easier to acquire housing

4. To provide high quality housing for all

In order to move these changes forward, the president has promised to reorient all loans and grants from the government to support well planned and orderly urban growth, as well as high density vertical development within urban areas. The main reasons for this are to control the urban sprawl that has consumed an exorbitant amount of land around the major cities as well as lessen the high social cost and economic burdens that come with the commuting from homes so far out from the urban centers and job sources.

One of the strongest needs in Mexican development is point number one. There is a lack of continuity between regulations and communication on the local, state and national levels. This must be completed before any of the latter steps can be implemented correctly. The second point is to promote sustainable and orderly development. As touched upon before, the government plans to do this through financial means, only making loans and grants to projects that can prove they are supporting the government´s goals of intelligent and orderly urban growth. The third point will be done in conjunction with banks, streamlining processes as well as allowing more flexibility for the rehabilitation of existing properties rather than encouraging new construction and sprawl. Finally the last point is to promote higher quality construction in order to provide more dignified living conditions, particularly in the rural areas where the quality of housing is lowest. The government is giving construction companies a grace period of 24 months or 2 years in order to comply with the changes.

Mexican cities have been growing rapidly in the last few years but the quality of development has varied. There have been many problems with the construction of new housing including poorly planned neighborhoods, low quality construction and a lack of oversight by local governments to ensure that the homes are being built to code. Taking steps to change the way development takes place in Mexico is a positive first step even though we have a long way to go in order to raise the quality of living to that of many other developed countries. No place is this more true than in the rural areas, where quality development according to international standards is more than lacking. I am optimistic however.

Responsible development and sustainability is rising into the social consciousness of everyone here in Mexico, especially young people who are looking to make a difference. More and more people are concerned with the environment and raising the standard of living for everyone. Not to mention the level of concern regarding the sustainable capitalization of the natural resources that we already have, particularly in the areas of ecotourism and preservation.

In urban and environmental planning circles more and more people are getting on board with the idea of raising the quality of life and doing things the right way with an eye on the latest trends, practices and technologies. Universities are also beginning to focus on programs that promote good urbanism and environmental sustainability. For this, there is no shortage of students. The passion is here and the government is taking notice.

I hope the government succeeds in implementing true structural changes that result in better planned cities with more attractive and livable spaces. It will also take the efforts from all of us to work towards the common goal of a more equitable, prosperous and developed society…..without losing the unique character that makes Mexico so special. I for one am excited to see what the future holds!

Scientists Develop a Methodology to Determine the Damage from the Extraction of Firewood

Scientists at the Centers of Environmental Geography (CIGA) and Ecosystems (CIEco) from the Autonomous National University of México (UNAM) in conjunction with the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies are developing a geospatial and statistical methodology to determine the damage to the environment from the extraction of firewood. This methodology will have global, regional and Local applications which will be used to map the potential environmental impacts of firewood extraction for charcoal in 90 different countries scattered across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The project is being funded by the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC) and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (YIBS). The project was launched in December 2012 with an expected completion date of November 2014.

The UNAM website states that the purpose of the project is to “Evaluate the implications of fuel wood harvesting for residential end-use in local land cover and global climate. In particular, building a geospatial dynamic model to render a better quantitative estimate of fuel wood-driven forest degradation at the landscape level. The core questions being explored with the geospatial modeling technique are: How much wood fuel is being harvested at a given location within a specific time frame? How does the vegetation respond to this pressure, as measured by its above ground biomass stock and growth rate? And finally, How do changes in wood fuel demand (for example, through the dissemination of fuel-conserving stoves) alter this harvest-regrowth pattern in time?

This program is especially important because most of the deforestation taking place in the world occurs in tropical areas of the developing world of which Latin America is firmly situated.

In a recent interview with the newspaper “La Jornada”, the project director Adrian Ghilardi, had this to say about the project. "The project will allow us to understand the impact of improved stoves for cooking, fuel substitution as well as changing land cover and use, and estimate the compensation in terms of emissions of greenhouse gases associated with such interventions ".

More than a quarter of the world´s population has no access to electricity and 2/5 of the world´s population still rely mainly on traditional biomass for their basic energy needs…..or in other words: Firewood.

Tropical areas are being deforested at a rate of roughly 20 million hectares per year. Tropical forests take much longer to regenerate than temperate forests so in terms of planetary health; tropical deforestation is much more destructive. The same can be said for the wet/dry forests which are common throughout México. The figure of 20 million hectares only includes land being clear cut for agriculture and urbanization and does not include lands which are being illegally poached such as is the case when local peoples chop down trees to collect firewood. That is why this study is particularly important. Providing data where none existed previously, this study will allow scientists, decision makers and other stakeholders to get a more focused idea of what is happening as well provide the information necessary to create strategies in which to better manage land resources and protect the environment.

Parquimetro Update: Parking meters to be installed in Colonia Anzures

Mexico City´s installation of parking meters continues, this time in the Anzures neighborhood.

According to the local government, a total of 114 parking meters will be installed over the next 16 days. The meters will control more than 2,500 parking spaces across the neighborhood. In advance of this installation, the delegation will institute an education program for visitors and residents alike. This program will familiarize citizens with the way in which the parking meters work and how they fit in with the day to day workings of the neighborhood. Once installed, residents will be allowed a grace period that allows them to obtain neighborhood permits as well as allow visitors to prepare for the upcoming changes. Tickets for violations will commence on the 20th of March. According to the Secretary of Urban Development, almost five hundred resident permits have been issued so far.

The hope is that this project will better the mobility of the neighborhood as well as lower the levels of pollution. The majority of the funds that are collected from the meters will be reinvested directly back into the neighborhood through the reconstruction and maintenance of the sidewalks and streetscape, many of which are in great need of repair.

The case for biodegradable drinking straws….or no straws at all!

According to many sources, we use approximately 500 million drinking straws every day. Straws are credited with protecting the enamel on the teeth of children from the sugary drinks consumed by the majority of children on the planet. In Mexico this is a massive issue due to the fact that we have the highest soft drink consuption in the world! So essentially straws do have some benefit, but branding them a benefit and then moving on, only tells a fraction of the story.

Straws aren´t necessarily the issue, but the material in which these straws are made of IS. Two hundred years ago, straws were made of naturally occurring materials such as reeds but in the late 1800´s, the process of fabricating paper straws was invented. In order to keep the paper straws dry, a coating of paraffin wax was applied. With the advent of plastics, the biodegradable paper straw was ditched for the plastic kind.

Plastic, while cheap to produce, is very hard on the environment in both fabrication and disposal. Besides the petrochemical stew that goes into their creation, they are not biodegradable and often end up in lakes and streams throughout the world. Once in the ecosystem, they often lead to the death of many types of animals which try to consume the trash. In addition, these straws leach chemicals into the environment which slowly poison our water, land and other valuable natural resources.

In Mexico, the pollution of our watersheds is a huge problem both from trash and chemical contamination. Public education is still in its infancy here. Regardless, it is up to all of us as responsible citizens to make the individual choice to change our behaviors while the rest of society catches up to where they should be. So what is the best choice in this case?

The more ecologically friendly choice is to start using paper straws again…or better yet, not using straws at all. When you don´t use straws you end up drinking less. If you are drinking sugary beverages without a straw, the end result is the consumption of less calories. So if minimizing the impact on the environment isn´t enough think about minimizing the impact on your waistline!

Bus/Bike Lane Sharing in Mexico City

Mexico City, being at the forefront of bicycle planning and promotion in both the nation and all of Latin America, has announced the creation of the first “Zero Emission Bus-Bicycle Corridor” on the roadway known as Eje 7-7A Sur. This corridor will permit the sharing of Metrobus lanes with bicyclists.

Eduardo Venadero Medinilla, The director of Electric Transport Services (STE) made the announcment, stressing that the corridor will be a safe and harmonious merger of public transportation and cycling. He also offered to continue to work in coordination with the Ministry of Environment to educate drivers about the importance of respecting pedestrian and vial culture. In addition, all Metrobus operators will be educated regarding the use of bicycles in these lanes, resulting in a reduction of road accidents, improved transportation and a healthy coexistence for all those involved.

The educational program aims to provide training to approximately 490 STE employees, including bus operators, supervisors and management. Classes will run from March to November 2013 and will be divided into 14 groups of 35 people each.

The Bike/Bus lane is an infrastructure model that provides cyclists with better safety when driving in a lane bordered by private vehicles. The lanes consist of two lanes of 4.6 meters each, one lane for each side of the road, and allow for the shared operation of both bicycle and Metrobus. In addition, the remainder of lanes in the roadway consist of a 3.4 meter wide lane for the movement of cargo vehicles and two additional lanes of 2.8 m in width for the movement of private passenger vehicles. One benefit of this type of design is intermodality in transport and a streamlining of transport options which are practical for all stakeholders involved.

Public Transit in Mexico City: The Nitty Gritty

National Geographic recently published an article by the name of “Bikes and Buses Propel Mexico City to Prize in Sustainable Transport”. The article itself is very good and tries to illustrate some of the more positive aspects of transit improvements that have occurred in Mexico City….and there are many positive aspects. Public transportation is cheap, a bike share program is gaining in popularity and expanding (though for the moment it is mainly focused in the more trendy neighborhoods) and the incredibly successful bus rapid transit system (known here as MetroBus) is being expanded. Mexico City is becoming better managed and more organized and in a city of 20 plus million people, this is no small task. The city seems to be starting many of these programs in its core and then spreading outward. All of these changes are good and have brought much positive attention to the dynamic city that I call home. While the positive attention is good it isn´t always representative of the actual situation here on the ground and much of the critiques of our city come from people who don´t live here and may have never visited. But headlines such as one which was recently featured at Planetizen called “How Mexico City Went From Commuter Hell to Paradise in Two Years” completely distort reality.

Let me make it perfectly clear: Mexico City is not a commuting paradise. If you ride transit on the weekends or outside of peak hours it is more than adequate but beyond this timeframe, all modes of transportation are stretched to their limit. It´s important to remember that peak hours here run considerably longer than in our American and European counterpart cities. The morning rush begins at 6 am and lasts until about 11:00. The afternoon rush begins around 4 and keeps pushing onward until about 9p.m. And the most crowded parts of peak rush are nothing short of Hell on Earth.

To understand why, you have to remember the size of the city and demand that creates. Mexico City is impossibly large and many of the people who commute into the city are from the outlying, much poorer areas. The national housing program known as INFONAVIT which helps people purchase homes, has been responsible for the construction of millions of single-family homes located in the ever increasing sprawl which is impossibly far from the jobs of Mexico City. Add to this complicated jumble, the millions of homes located in the informal settlements which encompass the already densely packed city and spread into the states that surround the Federal District. It is not uncommon for the average citizen of the region to spend 6 hours a day in a full-on guerilla style commute so over packed that people are literally hanging out the sides of buses. Multiple connections complicate matters as does the arrival of trains that you can´t even board due to the overstuffed press of people. Oftentimes you can´t even leave the train at your desired station because the passengers are so packed into the train that they can´t make the required movements to get out…..even if you are located two people from the subway doors. This applies equally to the Metrobus as it does to the Metro. The actual metro stations are often safety hazards in themselves.

Fire safety in almost all the stations are an afterthought. Restaurants with cooking equipment are located in many of the stations. Sprinkler systems are nonexistent. Evacuation routes are never indicated nor are emergency procedures. In the event of leaving a station during an emergency, one must navigate their way through a maze of illegal vendors who often locate their stands on the stairways which serve as exits and entrances. Even the sidewalks are difficult to pass through because of the space these stands occupy.

Safety on the microbuses are a problem as well. Very little regulation is applied to the system of microbuses or “peseras” and “combis” that deliver transportation to the routes where the Metro and Metro bus cannot. While leagues above the converted school buses with makeshift plywood seats that you find in the border cities, the equipment is often old, dirty and poorly maintained. Exhaust fumes routinely drift into the cabins of these buses while they travel and it has been many occasion when the drivers are smoking, texting or talking on the phone throughout the course of my journey. Even worse, I have walked onto buses that strongly smell of marijuana which I could only assume the driver had just smoked. And I must stress again, the overcrowding which is on a level that exceeds the bounds of what anyone would consider safe.

Mexico City is no paradise for public transit simply put because we are one of the world´s largest cities and we have such a great need. But it is good to see that the city takes the issue seriously and is making more organized strides to address the problem. As with most cities in Latin America, we lack the tax structure and resources that many developed countries have, so progress occurs piecemeal. Despite this, it is amazing to see Mexico City become more organized and create so many positive improvements in such short time. Out need is great and our population is immense and growing but there is a solution for everything, though it won´t be easy. We have such a long way to go and this change won´t happen overnight but we are moving forward. We can do what seems impossible.

What will determine the success of these changes won´t just be built in policy. It will have to be a mental and cultural change in which we better educate ourselves, take ownership of issues and practice mutual respect for other human beings. These are the types of changes that take time and these are perhaps some of our biggest challenges. Optomistically, I hope we are up for it. I certainly am.