 |
|
|
 News Around the Republic of Mexico | July 2007 
Mayor Tries to Transform Mexico City
 Julie Watson - Associated Press
go to original
| | People enjoy a public beach in Mexico City, Saturday, July 28, 2007. The city has trucked in sand to build 'urban beaches' at seven public pools, put on outdoor movies and inaugurated 'bicycle Sundays,' when thousands of cyclists, skaters and pedestrians take over the main avenues. (AP/Marco Ugarte) |
Mexico City - The mayor of crime-ridden, smog-choked Mexico City is trying to do what some might consider impossible: transform his megalopolis into a place that's more healthy, livable and even fun.
And despite much skepticism, initiatives such as "urban beaches" and outdoor movies have become a wild success.
Mexico's capital of nearly 20 million people exemplifies chaos. Its potholed streets are snarled by more than 4 million drivers each day. The city is notorious for "express kidnappings," in which victims are forced to drain their bank accounts from automated tellers at gunpoint. Millions live in cement hovels with little running water.
At times, the city seems hostile to human life itself — one sinkhole recently swallowed a young man, along with a car and a building's facade.
Since taking office in December, Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has imposed tougher traffic rules to make pedestrians safer, installed security cameras in high-crime neighborhoods and required city staffers to ride their bicycles to work once a month.
The city trucked in sand to build "urban beaches" at seven public pools, screened outdoor movies and inaugurated "bicycle Sundays" when thousands of cyclists, skaters and pedestrians take over the main avenues. Ebrard even invited former Vice President Al Gore to lecture city residents about climate change this week.
On Sunday, the government held a "green referendum," asking capital residents to weigh in on questions such as whether buses and taxis should be replaced with newer, cleaner vehicles.
The mayor's goal is transforming the city into Latin America's latest model of urban renewal. The big idea behind these relatively inexpensive measures is that by encouraging happiness, rather than solely economic growth, he just might change residents' image of their city — and themselves.
"For us, it's important to continue promoting healthy living, and that means taking back public spaces to create a safe, better city," Ebrard explains.
So far, residents are packing the urban beaches and, on Sundays, the city's famous tree-lined Reforma Avenue.
Small things can make a big difference, said Jorge Melindez, 41, who brought his three children to bike down the normally congested main thoroughfare.
"It's so stressful living here and this gives us a break after screaming at cars all week," Melindez said. "This doesn't take time away from confronting the problems. In fact, it helps so we can confront them."
Ebrard, 47, a former police chief, is following the example of Bogota, Colombia, where Enrique Penalosa built bike paths, closed thoroughfares to cars on Sundays and kept vehicles from parking on sidewalks. Penalosa's efforts softened life's edges in Bogota, another kidnapping-plagued Latin American capital.
Ebrard's efforts may even restore the popularity of his battered, leftist Democratic Revolutionary Party. The party's losing presidential candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, alienated supporters with protests that clogged the city for months last year.
Ebrard has become a leading figure in the party and some speculate he could be a candidate for president in the 2012 elections. He's getting recognition internationally, as well: The World Bank lauded his efforts to reduce emissions and handed over a check for more than $168,000 to build nearly 200 miles of bike lanes in the city.
But only time will tell if his plans can transform Mexico City.
Riding a bike remains an act of courage during the week because few vehicles respect bike lanes.
Then there are the sinkholes. Mexico City has at least 200 fissures that have made some streets impassable. Civil Defense Secretary Elias Moreno blames earthquakes, groundwater extraction and torrential rains for the problem, and the city has been using cement to try to plug up the holes.
Jesus Robles, president of the capital's leftist Alternative Party, said Ebrard should focus on solving bigger problems in the city, such as water leaks, which he said go three months without being addressed.
Associated Press Writer Carlos Rodriguez contributed to this report. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us