mexico city case study

• what is the site of mexico?


  - the city was located on an area of land which used to belake texcocobut was drained by early settlers during the aztec times

  - the city is now located on a flat upland landscape called thecentral plateau
• what is the situation of mexico?

  mexico city is surrounded by the cities of toluca and pachuca
• what is the regional connectivity of mexico city?

  mexico city is served by regional transport services such as buses, coaches and trains
• what is the national connectivity of mexico city?

  motorways connect to industrial towns such astolucawhich means that goods can be transported to the main market
• what is the international connectivity of mexico city?

  - mexico city hastwo international airportswhich links mexico city witheurope, usaand south america.this creates an economic and transport hub, encouraging development.

  - international routes such asfederal highway 57are important because they link to theusafor trade
• state the cultural context for mexico city:

  - largest spanish speaking country in the world

  - with a population of21 million, it is thelargest metropolitan areain thewestern hemisphere

  - in2011, the city had aGDP of US$411 billionmaking it one of the richest urban areas
• explain mexico city's CBD:

  - main financial hub, characterised by office blocks, government buildings and themexican stock exchange

  - the CBD now attracts high value retailers and shopping malls especially in thesanta fearea
• explain mexico city's inner city:

  - characterised by slums

  -"vercindades"are abandoned multi-storey colonial mansions which are converted into cheap tenements and rented out to families

  - mix of high quality to mid-quality housing
• explain mexico city's suburbs:

  - characterised by areas likeciudad satelitewith middle class housing mainly built to owners orders

  - houses have tight security- walled off parking spaces, barbed wire, electric fences and armed guards
• explain mexico city's urban rural fringe

  - land use dominated by unregulated shanty towns
• how closely related is mexico city's structure to latin american cities?

  mexico city's pattern of land use is similar to the latin american city Model

  - the cbd is in the centre and the perifeco is on the outsides

  - similarly industrial areas are edging towards the outskirts but not as packed together.

  - however unlike the model, squatter settlements exist close to the cbd.

  
• what has the population change of people living in urban areas in mexico city been from 1950 to 2010?

  1950: approximately2millionpeople lived in urban areas

  2010: the urban area had a population of approximately19 million
• how did the number of people living in the inner suburbs change from 1950 to 2010?

  1950:2 million

  2010:7 million
• how did the number of people living in the boundaries of mexico city change from 1950 to 2010?

  1950:3 million

  2010:1 million
• what are the reasons for population growth in mexico city? (3)

  1. natural increase

  2. economic investment and growth

  3. migration
• how has natural increase impacted population growth?

  during1950s-1980s, a high birth rate and a fall in death rate due improved healthcare so better treatment and lower infant mortality rate, meant the population grew rapidly.
• how has economic investment impacted population growth?

  many businesses have invested in projects in the city which has created jobs in factories and offices, attracting migrants to the city.
• how has migration impacted population growth?

  - rural to urban migration: people left the countryside in search of jobs, better housing, schooling and modern healthcare- wanting to escape the hardship and poverty of parts of the country

  - international migration: new job opportunities in factories and offices in the city have attracted people fromeurope, japan and the USAfor example firms such asrenaultandsantanderhave opened new branches there in recent years
• state the 7 impacts migration has on mexico city

  1. housing

  2. water supply

  3. inequality and safety

  4. air pollution

  5. waste pollution

  6. employment

  7. age structure
• how is housing being impacted due to migration?


  - mexico city cannot provide enough housing for its entire population

  - the need for homes has led to more self-built housing at the city edge such as shanty towns

  - these shanty towns lack access to basics such as clean water and electricity
• how are water supplies being impacted due to migration?


  - difficulties in supplying clean water with rising demand has put pressure on the city's reservoirs

  - as water is extracted, the land sinks and buildings, power lines and sewage pipes are broken
• how has inequality and safety been impacted by migration?

  - inequality within mexico is growing with the number of poor people rapidly increasing as they move to the city from rural areas to find work

  - inequality has caused some issues and in some cases, it has helped lead to a rise in crime

  - richer housing areas are increasingly becoming gated communities with security forces as a result of the fears of crime and kidnapping.
• how has air pollution been impacted by migration?

  - in the1970s, mexico city had a major air pollution problem with the main source of the pollution being transport exhaust fumes

  - rise in car ownership increases both air and noise pollution so people living in the city suffered from health issues like respiratory problems.

  - the government have tried to overcome these issues but air pollution is still a problem.
• how has waste pollution been impacted by mexico city's migration?

  - everyday the people of mexico city produce13,000 tonnesof rubbish

  - the waste disposal system can only remove9000tonnes a day

  - the rest is dumped in any bit of open ground, street or drains where it clogs the system

  - this is now polluting water sources
• how has employment been impacted by mexico city's migration?


  - the city has grown faster than the number of "proper" jobs available

  - this has resulted in unemployment and an increase in informal economy (60% of jobs)

  - informal employment is made up of jobs which there is little or no official control e.g. street sellers, unofficial taxis, car cleaners

  >>25% of taxis are unoffical

  >>around 25000 street sellers of sweets, cigs and food

  - where employees are open to exploitation and low pay
• how has the age structure of mexico city been impacted by migration?

  - many migrants moving to the city are young adults

  - this leads to a rise in the number of younger people living in the city

  - but the lack of jobs is also increasing the rate of crime
• what is spatial inequality?

  the unequal distribution of wealth or resources in a geographic area, so that some places are richer than others
• why is there a large gap between the rich and the poor?

  many of the people arriving in the city are very poor and there is a lot of competition for jobs which are available, those that are, paying low wages. without a good income, people are unable to provide basic needs for themselves or their families, leading to a negative multiplier. as a result, it is harder to get wealthier
• state the 3 places where extreme wealth v extreme poverty can be observed

  1. wages

  2. education

  3. services
• what is the difference in wages between the rich and the poor in mexico city?

  - minimum wage should beUS$4but1 in 3workers are paid less

  - thetop 20%of people in mexico city earnas much as 13 x moreas the bottom20%

  - poorer people also work longer hours-29% of employeeswork very long hours compared with an average of13%in other emerging countries
• what is the difference in education between the rich and the poor in mexico city?

  - thepoorest 10%average onlytwo yearsor schooling attendance

  - therichest 10%average withtwelve years
• what is the difference in services between the rich and the poor?

  - shanty town residents have no running water, electricity or food shops

  - residents in wealthier areas live in larger houses with gardens and swimming pools

  >> wealthier people are those with political power; they are able to get homes in better parts of the city
• state the impacts of rapid urbanisation in mexico city: (5)

  - housing shortages

  - squatter settlements

  - under-employment

  - pollution

  - inadequate services
• how has rapid urbanisation impacted housing shortages?

  - many migrants moving to the city are living on garbage dumps, forced to search through the waste to make money.
• how has rapid urbanisation impacted squatter settlements?

  - migrants from the countryside are forced to illegally build homes made out of waste materials on the edge of the city

  - these homes have no running water or electricity

  - they grow so rapidly that the authorities do not have the time or finance to connect all the houses to clean water supplies

  - this means the water is often polluted with sewage leading to illnesses like typhoid and cholera
• how has rapid urbanisation impacted under-employment?

  - the city has grown faster than the number of "proper" jobs

  - this has resulted in unemployment and an increase in informal economy (60% of jobs)

  - informal employment is made up of jobs which there is little or no official control e.g. street sellers, unofficial taxis, car cleaners

  >>25% of taxis are unoffical

  >>around 25000 street sellers of sweets, cigs and food

  - where employees are open to exploitation and low pay

  - minimum wage should beUS$4but1 in 3workers are paid less
• how has rapid urbanisation impacted pollution?

  AIR:

  - in the1970s, mexico city had a major air pollution problem with the main source of the pollution being transport exhaust fumes

  - rise in car ownership increases both air and noise pollution so people living in the city suffered from health issues like respiratory problems.

  - the government have tried to overcome these issues but air pollution is still a problem.

  WASTE:

  - everyday the people of mexico city produce13,000 tonnesof rubbish

  - the waste disposal system can only remove9000tonnes a day

  - the rest is dumped in any bit of open ground, street or drains where it clogs the system

  - this is now pollution water sources
• name a bottom-up strategy for making mexico city more sustainable

  - inneza, there is work to develop the area in an organised way-cultiva ciudad
• explain the strategy in neza:

  - working with local schools to educate children by building schools.

  - this has helped to provide learning opportunities for children improving the lives of some of the poorest children and make sure they grow up to lead better lives and so they are able to make areas in the future more sustainable.

  - a health centre has been opened and self-build programs have been implemented to help people arriving from the countryside

  - in turn this has meant there is less crime as other parts of the city as people feel like they're needs are being met
• advantages of bottom-up schemes

  - target specific needs of the locals

  - do not take a lot of time or money to get going