Livable Streets and Global Competitiveness: A Survey of Mexico City

Abstract

Mexico City is rapidly building livable streets (i.e., streets redesigned to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, and public space users). Livable streets are justified by decision makers as investments to increase urban equity yet tend to reinforce socioeconomic stratification through their location in wealthy and/or gentrifying neighborhoods. Using semi-structured interviews, policy reviews, and participant observation, this article documents Mexico City’s livable streets investments from 2007 to 2018 focusing on their uptake through global networks of knowledge. It argues that livable streets are part of a competitive city economic development strategy fitting comfortably into a planning system that favors neighborhoods with the most economic potential.

FROM HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE: English‐language Media Outlets and Urban Planning Best Practices in the Global South

“…Best practices in urban planning are the policies, programs and projects that originate in one social, political, cultural and geographic context, yet are being adopted in another (Bulkeley, 2006; Montero, 2018). Research has established that best practice use is accelerating (Peck and Theodore, 2015), with decision makers employing them as templates to replicate the ‘successes’ that have been achieved in other cities (Temenos and McCann, 2012; Whitney et al ., 2020). Therefore, city governments, interested in enacting change during their short electoral cycles, use best practices to showcase their political effectiveness to their constituents while referencing the latest global norms in city building (Peck and Theodore, 2015; Montero, 2018).…”

“…the United Nations, planning associations such as the American Planning Association, international NGOs, conferences, etc.) (Roy, 2011; Lederman, 2020; Whitney et al ., 2020). Rather, they also included English‐language media outlets such as blogs and online newspapers that published writing about latest urban planning topics, among other issues.…”

“…Wood (2019), for instance, explores how the continued reliance on colonial planning systems within South Africa has perpetuated urban segregation. Whitney et al (2020) illustrate how best practices supporting cycling, pedestrian and public space infrastructure within Mexico favor neighborhoods ripe for economic development. Other research has explored referencing as a form of policy augmentation that supports specific outcomes, to highlight that multiscalar actors interested in coalition building use best practices to adopt their preferred policies and programs (Jajamovich, 2016;Kennedy, 2016;Silvestre and Jajamovich, 2021).…”

“…CityLab, The New York Times , The Guardian ). Earlier research has explored how best practices are no longer flowing unidirectionally from North to South (Roy, 2010; Robinson, 2011; Montero, 2018), how professional knowledge networks influence what best practices are pushed for local uptake (Peck and Theodore, 2015; Whitney et al ., 2020), and the ways in which best practices travel between places (Wood, 2014; Peck and Theodore, 2015; Montero, 2017a). A smaller body of literature has also explored how planners use media tools such as videos during the policy‐making process (Montero, 2018).…”

The Characteristics of Livable Streets: A Study of Physical Aspects of Two Streets in Riyadh

“…He also defined the policies necessary for realizing livable cities. Whitney et al (2020) discussed that livable streets are part of a competitive city economic development strategy of appropriating convenience into a planning system that promotes neighborhoods with the extreme economic potential.…”