Influence of social housing models in the development of urban agriculture in Mexico
Nadal, Ana (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Rodríguez-Labajos, Beatriz (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Cuerva, Eva (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament d'Enginyeria de Projectes i de la Construcció)
Josa Garcia-Tornel, Alejandro (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament d'Enginyeria Civil i Ambiental)
Rieradevall, Joan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental

Date:	2022
Abstract:	This study examines urbanization patterns linked to social housing units and the way in which such patterns influence the practice of urban agriculture (UA) in Mexico. Due to the transformations that take place over time in Mexican social-housing units, impervious surfaces tend to increase at the expense of greenspace and UA possibilities. The research aims to identify the negative impact of social housing transformations on UA and suggest a policy framework for sustainable housing development in Mexico. The empirical analysis distinguishes four social housing typologies within two emblematic neighborhoods in the city of Merida, Mexico: Las Magnolias and Ampliación Tixcacal-Opichén. A survey of 157 housing units combines quantitative metrics and qualitative descriptors to unveil the detrimental impact of development on UA. The results show that UA takes place within the building lots and around the housing units, rather than in public urban areas. 60% of the sampled units practiced UA, with traditional backyard gardens being the most common modality. The research findings point to a systematic expansion of impervious surfaces, limitation of both cultivation choices and crop variety, and major restrictions on UA practices. Social housing represents the bulk of residential developments in Mexico (42. 7% out of 35. 5 million housing units). Left unregulated, the types of social housing transformations that have been empirically verified in this study endanger the availability of green space as the primary resource for UA. This research sheds light on critical policy changes and formulations that are required to enhance UA practices and to establish greener cities and more sustainable housing development.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CTM2013-47067-C2-1-R Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CTM2016-75772-C3-1-R Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-1412
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Latin America ; Self-sufficiency ; Sustainable cities ; Urban farming ; Urban gardening ; Urban green spaces ; SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
Published in:	Land use policy, Vol. 122 (November 2022) , art. 106391, ISSN 1873-5754

DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106391

Available from: 2025-11-30 Postprint

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA) > Sustainability and Environmental Protection (Sostenipra)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles