title: The limits of physical planning in Mexico: The case study of Puebla
Creators: name: Lopez, Jose Milla
Publisher: name: University of Glasgow
Year: 1988
Subjects: subject: Urban planning, Area planning and development, Latin American studies.

description: This work will discuss the problems physical planning is facing in Mexico, and to what extent we can expect it to bring the necessary changes towards a better national and regional development to the country. To be able to understand its socio-economic and political reality. This dissertation's principal objective, then, is to asses the role of Physical Planning in Mexico, and why its importance is diminishing. The argument is that the federal government has undermined the effectiveness of physical planning by firstly, giving priority to national economic growth over balanced regional development and broader social development. Secondly, by creating a confusing planning system which has allowed the government to keep control of decision-making processes. Thirdly, by planners themselves failing to play an active role in determining the future of Mexican cities. It will begin in Chapter One, to discuss why physical planning is so important and should be considered when taking any governmental action. To argue that even when planning was introduced almost 40 years ago, it has failed in achieving its goals perhaps because it has been regarded by the government as something useless, and it has Synopsis been given little importance. This, may be as a consequence of its fears of sharing power, and that planning can increase people's awareness of the problems and may begin to ask strongly for solutions. In the second chapter it will be argued that the effects of concentration of economic and political power led to a complete chaos in the urban system of the country, which together with ineffectual implementation of policies, are the main problems physical planning is facing now; and created an inertia that is very strong to challenge. The third chapter will analyse the characteristics of the Mexican urban system and the context in which planning has to operate. It will look at the different approaches for development the government has taken, and the position of planning activity over the years, since the early "regional" approach to the more recent of the "national" one. Chapter IV will set the case study, giving the general characteristics of it, and arguing the circumstances why it was chosen as an example. While in Chapter V the case of the City of Puebla will be developed. Its circumstances analysed and its problems discussed in its regional as well as in the national context. The situation of Puebla being the target of public and private investment will be discused, and it will be argued that despite that, the overall situation of the state has not changed considerably as to say most of its population have been benefited with these investments. Moreover, it will be argued that in fact, its dependency from the capital city has increased. Chapter VI will analyse the role of planners in these processes and a possible alternative approach in urban planning will be given, while the conelusions about the Synopsis possibilities planners and planning have within the Mexican circumstances and how the trends might change, will be drawn in the seventh chapter.