Lopez Franco, Monica; (2021) Frameworks for Urban Conservation: Social Equality Through Housing Tenure in Mexican Historic Cities. Cases of Mexico City and Guadalajara. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Since the mid-2000’s Mexico City’s local authorities sought to develop and implement an urban conservation-based Management Plan (2011) for the historic centre, a similar process was pursued for Guadalajara’s historic centre through the Partial Plan (2017). These instruments have aimed to shift from a national monument-centred agenda to follow recent UNESCO instruments that seek to integrate heritage and urban planning with the aim to ensure social and urban equality across existing and prospective residents. But with local authorities’ limited capacity, this shift has resulted in local planning instruments that promote urban renewal and market-based housing development agendas. The aim of this research is to examine the extent to which urban conservation frameworks within planning instruments for historic centres have achieved social equality by ensuring housing tenure security. This research took a cross-sectional two-case study with a predominantly qualitative lens for a mixed-method approach to develop in-depth knowledge of similarities and differences across the cases, which function under national legislation but are driven by local agendas. Based on a Discursive Analysis framework, 46 semi-structured interviews were conducted as primary data sources, focusing on key officers, academics, and residents across both cities. National legislation for heritage conservation, planning and housing as well as local planning instruments were analysed to pin-down key strategies. From this, the practices of dominant discourses to address each historic centre were located within spatial transformation and housing development processes in contexts that have complex social urban dynamics. Following a conscientious qualitative analysis of the collected data, the main findings of this thesis suggest historic centres are repositioned as commodified urban contexts with cultural value where a market-dominant housing agenda is articulated and promoted. This thesis argues that the combination of stagnant heritage conservation policies and deficient institutional capacity has increased a disproportionate private sector reliance. Thus, producing diminished housing tenure opportunities for low-income groups. The effects of this have been experienced at urban and housing levels by existing communities. This leaves room for non-exclusionary urban conservation approaches within planning instruments to ensure more inclusive housing agendas and outcomes.

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