Mexico Urbanization Review : Managing Spatial Growth for Productive and Livable Cities in Mexico

Despite impressive economic growth and increasing prosperity, cities in Mexico do not seem to have fully captured the benefits of urban agglomeration, in part because of rapid and uncoordinated urban growth. Recent expansion of many Mexican cities has been distant, disconnected, and dispersed, driven mainly by large single-use housing developments on the outskirts of cities. The lack of a coordinated approach to urban development has hindered the ability of cities in Mexico to boost economic growth and foster inclusive development. It also has created a fissure between new housing developments and urban services, infrastructure, and access to employment. Mexico Urbanization Review: Managing Spatial Growth for Productive and Livable Cities in Mexico provides an analytical basis to understand how well-managed urban growth can help Mexican cities to capture the positive gains associated with urbanization. To this end, the authors analyze the development patterns of the 100 largest Mexican cities using a set of spatial indexes. They then examine how the recent urban growth has affected the economic performance and livability of Mexican cities and offer recommendations for adjusting urban policy frameworks and instruments in ways that support sustainable spatial development and make cities more productive and inclusive. Annotation Urbanization in Mexico, as in other countries around the world, has increased prosperity and reduced poverty. However, despite impressive economic growth and prosperity, cities in Mexico do not seem to have fully captured the benefits from agglomeration, in part because of the way most Mexican cities expanded in the past. One of the key challenges facing many Mexican cities has been the rapid and uncoordinated growth of urban footprints. Over the past 30 years, the built-up area of Mexican cities expanded sevenfold and the urbanized areas of the 11 biggest metropolitan cities ninefold. This horizontal expansion has been driven mainly by large single-use housing developments on the outskirts of cities. The urban growth has largely happened unplanned and has been connected to the fissure between new developments and the provision of educational and health facilities, infrastructure, connectivity, and proximity of sources of employment. The way Mexican cities grew in the past has underutilized the cities potential to boost economic growth and foster social inclusion and livability. This Urbanization Review sets out to provide an analytical basis to understand how well-managed spatial growth can further contribute to unlocking the gains from urbanization. To this end, the report first analyzes the spatial development patterns of Mexican cities by creating a set of spatial indexes for the 100 largest cities and reviews the main policy shortcomings that have resulted in uncoordinated urban expansion. It also reviews the overall performance and remaining challenges for Mexican cities to transition into a high-income country and examines how recent urban spatial growth has affected economic performance and livability of Mexican cities. Based on the analysis, it offers adjustment to policy framework and instruments to support more sustainable spatial development and to make Mexican cities become more productive and inclusive." Despite impressive economic growth and increasing prosperity, cities in Mexico do not seem to have fully captured the benefits of urban agglomeration, in part because of rapid and uncoordinated urban growth. Recent expansion of many Mexican cities has been distant, disconnected, and dispersed, driven mainly by large single-use housing developments on the outskirts of cities. The lack of a coordinated approach to urban development has hindered the ability of cities in Mexico to boost economic growth and foster inclusive development. It also has created a fissure between new housing developments and urban services, infrastructure, and access to employment. Mexico Urbanization Review: Managing Spatial Growth for Productive and Livable Cities in Mexico provides an analytical basis to understand how well-managed urban growth can help Mexican cities to capture the positive gains associated with urbanization. To this end, the authors analyze the development patterns of the 100 largest Mexican cities using a set of spatial indexes. They then examine how the recent urban growth has affected the economic performance and livability of Mexican cities and offer recommendations for adjusting urban policy frameworks and instruments in ways that support sustainable spatial development and make cities more productive and inclusive. -- Back cover Chapter 5 Policy Messages and Recommendations -- Summary of Policy Options -- Reframing the Policy Lens for Productive and Inclusive Urban Growth -- Planning for Productive and Livable Mexican Cities -- Connecting Institutions-Coordination to Unlock Cities' Potentials for Growth and Livability -- Financing for Well-Connected, Prosperous, and Livable Cities -- Note -- References -- Appendix A Glossary of Urban and Housing Sectors in Mexico -- Appendix B Methodology for Analyzing Urban Spatial Structure -- Scope and Data of Analysis -- Trends in Overall Population Densities in Mexican Cities Front Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Executive Summary: Managing Spatial Growth for Productive and Livable Cities in Mexico -- Abbreviations -- Chapter 1 Setting the Scene -- High Levels of Urbanization in Mexico -- Urbanization and Socioeconomic Achievements in Mexico -- Remaining Challenge: Distant, Dispersed, and Disconnected Urban Spatial Growth -- Reform Agenda for Urban and Housing Policies -- Objectives and Scope of the Mexico Urbanization Review -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 2 Understanding Economic Performance and Progress toward Shared Prosperity -- Introduction Missing Benefits from Agglomeration Economies in Mexican Cities -- Infrastructure Provision and Metropolitan Coordination to Spur Economic Performance -- Activating Metropolitan Clusters Inside Regional Networks and "Systems of Cities"--Notes -- References -- Chapter 4 Moving toward More Livable and Inclusive Mexican Cities -- Introduction -- Persistent Inequality in Basic Services within Cities -- Uncoordinated Urban Expansion and Its Effects on Fostering Inclusive Growth and Livability -- Effects of Spatial Growth on Commuting, the Environment, and Health -- Notes -- References Overview of Economic Performance of Mexican Cities -- Evolving Economic Structure of Mexican Cities -- Remaining Challenges in Realizing the Full Economic Potential of Mexican Cities -- Progress and Remaining Challenges to Inclusive Growth in the Urban Sphere -- Recent Spatial Growth and Its Impact on Mexican Cities -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 3 Unlocking the Economic Potentials of Mexican Cities -- Introduction -- Effects of Uncoordinated Urban Growth on Matching Skills to Jobs -- Effects of Uncoordinated Urban Growth on Sorting Economic Activities in Space Differences in the Methodology to Calculate Population Density -- Measuring Spatial Form -- References -- Appendix C Methodology for Case Study of Guadalajara Metropolitan Area -- Introduction -- Definitions and Variables -- Detailed Methodology and Results of Analysis -- Note -- Reference -- Boxes -- Box ES.1"Mexico Has a Consolidated System of Cities that Is Fairly Balanced across Urban Agglomeration of All Sizes -- Box 1.1"Housing Policies in Mexico -- Box 1.2"The National Urban System and Classification of City Types -- Box 1.3"What Is an Urbanization Review?