By Francisco Peyret
Gentrification is a phenomenon that has burgeoned in many cities around the world, especially those with history, tourist attraction, and tradition. Mexico City, for example, has experienced this for 30 years where the Historic Center and neighborhoods such as La Condesa and Roma have been repopulated. These areas have become centers of attraction for living, strolling, shopping, having fun, and doing business. Previously, these urban areas had lost their functionality, and were practically abandoned for various reasons—traffic, street vendors, and security. In addition to this, the 1985 earthquake was another reason why families decided to leave and move to the peripheries in subdivisions and into condominiums that are more convenient for the new generations.
In the end, the metropolitan areas did not work because they grew unchecked, and the traffic became a nightmare. However, as a reaction to this phenomenon, since the 1990s, many businessmen and young people have turned their eyes back toward neighborhoods in the center of Mexico City. Here they found architecture, services, restaurants, culture, history, and tradition. Currently, if you live in one of these neighborhoods or districts you can have it all: work, services, entertainment, culture, and community. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified this phenomenon because now families are moving from other states and countries to these neighborhoods. They have become small island paradises where a car is no longer essential.
San Miguel has experienced this process for a few decades with the arrival of many families, first to the historic center, then to the urban area and currently also to semi-urban and rural areas. In a post-pandemic world, San Miguel meets many requirements and has a lot of attractions for citizens from other parts of Mexico and the world that make people want to come and live in our community. The size of the city, the conservation of heritage and traditions, and the cosmopolitan social composition have made us a very powerful attraction for tourists, families, and businessmen.
This phenomenon, however, brings negative impacts. We have tourist overload, impingement on mobility, and an increase in the cost of living. At the same time, gentrification brings with it a series of opportunities. But the rules for doing business and the norms for urban development are very demanding and must be clear and intelligent to shape a socially and environmentally sustainable future.
Without dealing with the controversies about the recent development of San Miguel, I am going to try to reflect on what is happening. On the one hand, we have those who live from tourism, construction, and businesses that benefit from the increase in consumers. On the other hand, we have a diverse community concerned about the effects that economic growth brings: issues related to health, housing, mobility, water, and the environment among others.
We need to consider what is happening in traditional urban areas where people from other parts of the country and abroad arrived and continue to arrive. As an example, in neighborhoods such as Guadalupe or San Antonio, we are seeing local, national, and foreign residents who share neighborhoods to form a safe, clean, and prosperous community. We have seen various businesses opening up in these neighborhoods: shops, galleries, restaurants, bakeries, and greengrocers. They are all affected by gentrification, but these communities are solving it in their own way. It is common to hear neighbors say «I have everything in my neighborhood.» It is gratifying to see how these communities are working and prospering within their environment and how they receive curious tourists looking to see beyond the historical center. We have to review how new developments or districts are taking shape, and how they can be integrated into a forward-looking development process.
