Coordinated transportation and land use planning in the developing world : the case of Mexico City

Abstract

Transportation, land use and the environment are inextricably linked. In recent decades there have been efforts, primarily in the developed world, to coordinate transportation and land use planning so as to use land resources more efficiently and promote the use of transit and non-motorized transport (walking and biking) at the expense of the automobile. This is done in order to reduce congestion and pollution and to provide more equitable access to jobs. This thesis examines the applicability of coordinated transportation and land use planning methods such as transit-oriented development (TOD) in the developing world, and more specifically, in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). TOD is a policy that promotes dense, mixed land uses near transit stations. Essential to its success are an extensive transit system, government incentives to developers and zoning regulations, and a strong real estate market. In the developing world, where cities are growing fast and most people still do not own cars, TOD provides an opportunity to design the urban form of the growing cities to be transit-oriented. Low-income people can thus be served by cheaper high capacity transit, and can thus spend less of their meager income on transportation and have better access to jobs. They will make fewer and shorter trips by low capacity transit such as informal modes, reducing congestion and pollution. In the long term, TOD may slow down motorization and mitigate its effects. Mexico City faces a crisis of mobility, environment and equity. It needs coordinated transportation and land use planning to curb further sprawl, which would worsen these problems. It has many of the prerequisites for TOD. It has the densities, an extensive Metro system (although not extensive enough), and embryonic (and still weak) metropolitan planning organizations. Opportunities for coordinated transportation and land use planning there include station area development, downtown redevelopment, real estate development along the proposed suburban rail line, and a policy of building new affordable housing within walking distance of high capacity transit. The greater the geographical scope of each option, the more government involvement it requires, and the larger its potential positive impact is.