Context

· Mexico City one of the biggest cities in the world…

With almost 20 million people, including its metropolitan area, Mexico City is facing a variety of problems in different sectors. One of these problems is the traffic congestion, which causes air pollution, noise pollution and poor quality of life, not only to people that uses automobile as a way of transportation, but also to people that uses public transportation.

· Santa Fe, a special case

In this sense, one of the most critical areas in Mexico City is Santa Fe area. This region has changed considerably during the last 20 years; from a landfill to one of the most economic important zones in the City. Santa Fe is located at the west of Mexico City by the federal road to Toluca City. So, although Santa Fe is a modern complex, that hosts some of the main companies of Mexico, has a serious problem; a lack of access roads. This fact complicates the communication with other strategic areas of the City, making transportation, private and public, very inefficient. That is the reason why the 220,000[i], that have to move, every day, from the different areas of Mexico City to Santa Fe, spend hours in their journeys.

· Development programme

In this context, the Mexico City’s Government decided to implement a programme of infrastructure development that allows the reduction of traffic and its environmental problems. This programme, the ‘Autopista Urbana’, is commonly known as ‘La Supervía’ (the Super Highway). The main aim of the Super Highway project is not only to improve the communication of Mexico City with Toluca City (Santa Fe), but also with Queretaro City and Cuernavaca City.

GDF. http://www.transparenciaautopistaurbana.df.gob.mx/

This Highway project will need a total investment of 30, 000 million MXP, and its total length is estimated in 29.56 Km. However, the part of the project focused in improving the communication only between Toluca and Mexico City will need an investment of 4,800 MXP, and its length will be 5.24 km.[ii]

The conflict with the FACS: Social justice and environmental protection

Since the Mexico City’s Government announced this project, in 2008, the public opinion has been polarised. Talking about the opposition, there are opinions against the construction of the Super Highway from different perspectives: social, environmental and urban planning. One of the strongest opposition groups is the one formed by the neighbors of the Malinche region, known as ‘Frente Amplio Contra la Supervía’ (FACS).

El Universal. http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/697815.html

The conflict started because the Mexico City’s Government has expropriated and presumably, has paid for 54 properties in the Malinche Area, where the Super Highway is going to affect. However, the people affected by this situation have refused to leave their houses. Since the last July 26, when the Government introduced construction machinery in this area, the FACS has kept barricades in order to impede their houses’ demolition. Nevertheless to the importance of the conflict, there has not been any advance in the negotiations process; both the Government and the FACS keep their postures.

El Universal. http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/697815.html

Other important factor that increases the conflict is that the road will pass by 5 canyons and 2 high value environmental areas. This fact can cause an ecological impact on the aquifers recharge of the City.

The Academy: Efficient urban planning and social and environmental protection

Due to the big repercussions that the Highway project can have on Mexico City, the academic sector has shown a big interest on the topic. Different institutions, has organised forums in order to spread diverse opinions, with a knowledge base, through society. Last May, in one of these forums entitled ‘Super Highway, Challenges and Perspective’, academics from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Autonomous Metopolitan University (UAM) Mario Molina Center, Mexican Institute of Transportation, among others, gave their opinions related to this topic.

Pedro Moctezuma, professor at the UAM, stated that ‘building more roads in this city entails to continue buying cars, generating more pollution and permeating it in the lifestyle of the city’. He also mentioned that ‘this road will affect significantly the recharge of aquifers in the west of the city; it will prevent infiltration of rainwater into the subsoil’

Luis Zambrano, researcher at the UNAM, mentioned ‘that the government's decision is sad because "it approved the Environmental Impact Statement more questioned in the Country's history." He said that 50 million pesos of compensation (the compensation that the constructor company is going to pay per year) are insufficient, because every year, for example, different parks in the country receive 40 million pesos budget’.

Rodolfo Lacy, from Mario Molina Center, mentioned: ‘we have to know the costs and benefits for everyone, not just for those with car. We must know how the obstruction of public transport, the cutting down of trees and the expropriated land will be compensated"

More forums

From August to September, the FACS organised three forums entitled ‘The Super Highway to Debate: Myths and Realities’, with the support of the Human Right Commission of Mexico City. From these events, the FARCS concluded and recommended that it is necessary:

· ‘Reviewing the documentation due to it has serious shortcomings of legal, technical and administrative aspects.

· Stopping the project with the goal of finding alternatives to mobility:

o Giving priority to public transportation

o Respecting the natural protected areas

o Ensuring respect for human rights and effective direct participation in decision-making in public affairs…’

The other face of the coin: Efficient transportation

Until now, I have shown some comments against the Super Highway; however, there is a part of the society that is supporting the construction of it. In fact, the last November 8, two representatives of this group gave, to Marcelo Ebrard, the Minister of Mexico City, a letter signed by 3,500 persons, that live in the City, and that are asking for the continuity of the Highway construction.

They argued: ‘we're interested because we spend hours a day stuck in the west of the City. We want to reach our workplaces. We brought 3,500 signatures of support from people who want to be transported and who want to use the south-west route".

"Those who live here want to participate and say enough! With information, we say that the Super Highway project is not only viable, but urgent for the future of the south west of the city".

‘Oscar Moreno, a resident of Santa Fe, said to Marcelo Ebrard that must not be a minority who stops the Super Highway. "We do not want that a minority takes us away the opportunity of efficient transportation, without wasting hours in our cars"’.

The NGO’s: Social justice

In this conflict, some NGO’s have supported the FACS movement. The center of social and cultural studies ‘Antonio de Montesinos’ and the centers of human rights ‘Fray Francisco de Vitoria’ and ‘Miguel Agustín Pro’ asked to the local Government the cancellation of this project: ‘The west superhighway should definitely be canceled because, far from being a sustainable project that responds to a comprehensive policy on transport and mobility, "seems to respond to interest groups”’

Some other organisations, such as ‘INCIDE Social’, ‘Centro Nacional de Comunicacion Social’, ‘Litiga Ole’ y ‘Observatorio Social’, have expressed that ‘Mexico City’s Government has acted in an "authoritarian and inflexible way" and this has generated a "regression in the construction of a human rights culture" in Mexico City’. In the same context, the Human Right Commission of Mexico City mentioned that has elements to issue a recommendation against the Government of Mexico City due to the Super Highway conflict.

The Mexico City’s Government: Economic development, pollution reduction, efficient transportation

The Government states that the Super Highway is necessary in order to connect the west area with the south area of the City. Marcelo Ebrard ensures that the people’s opinions have been taken into account; however, there is not any possibility to stop the project. He says:

‘We are taking into account reasonable and sensible comments. We have made changes; in fact, there is a tunnel that will be built, almost 7 kilometers, is the longest in Mexico City. This tunnel will reduce any possible effect on green areas and urban areas. But I am not going to stop a work in progress’.

‘The city government is cautious, extreme cautious. It is not true that we have evicted or beaten people. We have had "n" number of meetings, but they don’t want the road, and in this point we’ll never be agree.’

The Private Sector: Profitability

There have not been significant interactions between the company, which will be in charge of the Super Highway construction, and the society. This company, ‘Controladora Vía Rápida Poetas’, has published the environmental impact studies; however, as I mentioned before, some people have qualified them as deficient in several aspects.

The Conclusion

There are different views about this topic, but only knowing the diverse opinions about it we’ll be in possibility to understand the problem and create our own conclusion.

[i] Ramírez, Teresa, 2010. En apoyo a la Súper Vía Poniente, entregan 3500 firmas a Marcelo Ebrad. La Jornada en línea, [internet} 11 August.

Available at http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2010/11/08/en-apoyo-a-la-supervia-poniente-entregan-3-mil-500-firmas-a-ebrard

[Accessed 8 November 2010].

[ii] Vía Rápida Poetas, 2010. Manifestación del Impacto Ambiental modalidad específica [Internet] Available at http://www.transparenciaautopistaurbana.df.gob.mx/imp_ambiental.html