Hybrid Green Corridors in Arid Northern Mexico: Design for a Balance between Ecological and Non-Motorized Mobility Networks

Urban planning in Mexico has been going through intensive updating by the hand of the recently created Municipal Planning Institutes (IMPLANES). These institutes have emerged in the XXI century as a response to the inability to implement medium to long term planning efforts derived from an urban administration model determined by three year municipal government terms with no reelection as an option. Before the emergence of IMPLANES, decisions pertaining urban infrastructure were determined by mayors trying to leverage brief periods of time in the scale of urban administration and planning. IMPLANES have spent a significant part of their efforts updating the aged and conceptually obsolete –largely based on XX century zoning practices- urban plans of medium to large cities in the country. One of the frequent components added, as innovations, to the urban plans are green corridors and non-motorized mobility networks conceived as devices to structure what often are highly fragmented urban fabrics. Green corridors are planned on creeks, dry rivers, and rivers. Non-motorized mobility networks are planned on existing streets of various hierarchies. These 2 types of networks, are often planned as separate systems. The green corridors are associated to the production of public space/green areas and the non-motorized systems are related to mobility plans which typically include pedestrian, bicycle, and public transportation alternatives. The separation of green corridor and non-motorized mobility systems results in plans with complete spatial coverage for non-motorized mobility. But, it also results in plans which have proven to be unrealistic towards implementation. After some years of planning there are very few bicycle lanes built today. As bicycle transportation is slowly being accepted by the population, particularly young people, public budgets continue to be sucked away by expensive traditional car-oriented infrastructure. The intention of this paper is to propose that a hybrid network composed of integrated green corridors and non-motorized mobility can be more effective as a strategy towards implementation. While the spatial coverage might not be as extensive as the planned non-motorized networks on retrofitted streets, it is a coverage which can be targeted and centered on green corridors which, complemented by complete streets, can both deliver mobility, public space, and ecosystem services. This paper is the result of the design exploration of hybrid networks in applied academic studios. The inquiry is led by urban studies on 4 northern Mexico cities, 3 of which were supported by design studios in collaboration with the local IMPLANES. These studios fill the gap created by the lack of educational programs in landscape architecture and urban design in Mexico; while serving as an opportunity to learn by serving communities. The four cities were selected because of two different characteristics in their green corridor capacities: Chihuahua and Los Cabos possess networks already planned on natural drainage ways; Hermosillo and Mexicali have mostly artificial drainage ways found on irrigation and storm water management canals. All these four cities also share 2 other critical conditions relevant to the production of hybrid corridors: these are all semi-arid and arid cities. According to their urban plans, their average rainfall rates are 262.7 millimeters for Los Cabos; 427.2 mm for Chihuahua; 348 mm for Hermosillo; and 36 mm for Mexicali. Their natural landscapes are mostly composed of grasslands and desert scrub with the presence of trees only on intermittent riparian corridors and on mountain slopes. These corridors and massifs contain spatial and environmental quality but are threatened, destroyed, or polluted by urbanization. The four cities have insufficient green areas. According to recommendations by the World Health Organization, used as indicator by their urban plans, city dwellers need 9 square meters of green areas: Los Cabos has only 4 m2 per person; Chihuahua 3.7 m2; Hermosillo 6.19 m2; and Mexicali 2.1 m2

El espacio público y su fracaso como generador de calidad de vida urbana en los polígonos de pobreza del Área Metropolitana de Monterrey (AMM)

Public space has taken in recent years, a vital importance in the development of cities around the world. Furthermore, the importance of quality of life in cities has made morphological paradigm change, not only on how cities are build but how they function. In Latin America, where many cities have grown wildly due to settlements and lack of law regulation in the provision of urban space; there have been proposals to address these problems through the implementation of programs that use public space as a catalyst for social progress. Various have been the effects of the implementation of such programs, such as social cohesion, neighborhood appropriation of public spaces, low crime rates among others. The improvement in infrastructure in general has become a stronger urban support. On the other hand, the AMM has a large deficit of public space and green areas, added to the deterioration of existing sites; poverty polygons show the starkest situation of the city. Therefore we analyze what are the conditions of public space in these areas and what factors determine their use, plus their relation to the quality of urban life.El espacio público ha retomado, en los últimos años, una prominencia vital en el desarrollo de las ciudades alrededor del mundo. La importancia de la calidad de vida en las urbes ha hecho cambiar el paradigma morfológico sobre la construcción y funcionamiento de las mismas. En América Latina, donde muchas ciudades han crecido desordenadamente debido a asentamientos irregulares y falta de leyes que reglamenten la dotación de espacio urbano, han surgido propuestas para atacar estos problemas —en Medellín, Colombia, por ejemplo— por medio de la implementación de programas que utilizan el espacio público como catalizador para los progresos sociales. Diversos han sido los efectos de la aplicación de dichos programas: la cohesión social, apropiación vecinal de los espacios públicos, baja de índices delictivos, entre otros. El mejoramiento en la infraestructura en general ha devenido un sostén urbano más sólido. Por otro lado, el Área Metropolitana de Monterrey (AMM) posee gran déficit de espacio público y áreas verdes, aunado al deterioro de los sitios ya existentes; los polígonos de pobreza nos muestran la situación más cruda de la urbe. Se analiza, por ende, cuáles son las condiciones del espacio público en estas áreas y qué factores determinan su uso, así como su relación con la calidad de vida urbana

Pathways to Greening Border Cities: A Policy Analysis for Green Infrastructure in Ambos Nogales

Green infrastructure (GI) has been proposed as a decentralized solution to complex urban water management issues. However, public policy remains a critical challenge for the wide adoption of GI, which is exacerbated in transboundary settings. We draw from public policy theory to analyze GI policies at the US–Mexico border. We examine the case of Ambos Nogales—two sister cities grappling with complex water management challenges. We examined existing policies and evaluated their impact on the implementation of GI at multiple levels (local, state, national, and binational). We also conducted interviews and a focus group with stakeholders. Our analysis unveils a set of barriers to the adoption of GI and a suite of opportunities for the enactment of GI policies. We outline five pathways for greening border cities, including (i) creating market-based GI incentives, (ii) adopting the net-zero urban water approach, (iii) engaging with existing institutions for greening efforts, (iv) planning for a GI network at the watershed scale, and (v) supporting local champions. By addressing shortcomings of policy and regulatory frameworks hindering local capacity, border cities will be more likely to adopt and widely implement GI solutions for more sustainable urban water management