Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico City is going green. Particularly after Mexico decided to participate in Agenda 21, government agencies, businesses, citizens’ groups, academic programs, and national and international nonprofit organizations have been working to make the city greener. Programs changing the ways people live, work, and think range from legislative reforms and the greening of government agency practices to sustainable building and comprehensive waste treatment. Green is in, but significant challenges must be overcome to make the sustainable city movement more powerful, while ma king ongoing socioeconomic development more equitable.

Mexico City is the metropolitan area that encompasses the country's capital, Mexico D.F. (the Federal District), and surrounding areas in the state of Mexico. Mexico City is among the 10 wealthiest cities of the world by gross domestic product. With a population of more than 20 million, the metropolitan area is also one of the world's largest. Mexico City's population growth exploded when industrialization engulfed the country in the 1930s. In 1930, the city's population was just over 1 million. Population growth has slowed since the 1970s, but settlement has continued to advance into surrounding areas of the state of Mexico, with immigrants to the city establishing settlements on the fringes of the metropolitan area. The urban sprawl that accompanies population growth, coupled with the inability of efforts to keep up with worsening environmental problems overwhelm attempts by the city's governmental authorities to make the city greener.

Among Mexico City's most pressing challenges are increasing energy demands, a water shortage, ineffective waste management, pollution, and urban sprawl, which is apparent in this view of the city

Source: iStockphoto

Although many political leaders and policy makers are beginning to address challenges to sustainable development in Mexico City, greening the city is not yet a comprehensive administrative endeavor. The report published by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit on the country's 2010 Economic Program illustrates that Mexican policy makers are still compelled to focus on increasing the growth of the economy, productivity (especially in sectors that promise to help alleviate unemployment), and more immediate means of combating poverty. For Mexico City's policy makers, addressing such pressing concerns is also the primary agenda. Comprehensive planning, effective governance, and reconciling individual and collective interests in the megacity have always been major challenges, so dealing with the complexity of interrelated causes of environmental problems will be a daunting task for the municipal government. Nonetheless, some municipal government programs are already making progress in solving environmental problems as the movement to make the city greener gains momentum. Policy makers and planners recognize that demands are on the rise for solutions to environmental problems; [Page 322]green products and services; energy-efficient housing; more cost-effective, safe, and environmentally sustainable public transport systems; green jobs; and pleasant and enjoyable public spaces.