Open Space, Health and Lifestyle in CDMX

Nathan McNeilly, Anood Mantsch, William Okpi, Jacob Cluff

Introduction

Brief History of CDMX

Mexico City has been around since the 14th century and is one of the biggest cities in North America. The area was first settled by the Aztecs, before the arrival of the colonials. Because of this long settlement, many layers of history, culture, private and public development can be seen in Mexico city's rich architecture and urbanism. The city's open spaces: plazas, parks, national reserves and streets have, to a certain degree, developed alongside the long, rich history of the area. This brief/research will explore open public spaces - in Mexico City - and how these spaces may relate to health and lifestyle.

Pre-Colonial Aztec City

Tenochtitlan, the modern Mexico City, was an Aztec settlement built on a body of water. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Spanairds, to be precise, the Aztecs dredged the water to form smaller islands and built pyramids, temples, marketplaces (open public spaces), homes and other structures. Since the city was surrounded by water, the islands were connected by networks of canals and stone bridges. Although the Conquistadors razed the ancient city, remnants of it are still visible in certain parts of Mexico city.

Colonial Era

After the spanish conquered Tenochtitlan in 1520, they proceeded to build what became Mexico city on the ruins of the former Aztec city and remained in charge of the city till Mexico gained independence in 1821. In the early periods after the conquest, the natives did not have free access to the city, and without much local influence the city developed like a regular Spanish town. This can be seen throughout the historic neighborhoods with open Plazas cathedrals and European/Spanish style architecture. Under the Spanish rule, the city grew quickly and became one of the most important city in the Americas.

Historical Influence

Tenochtitlan 1524

City Started out in a lake

Mexico City 1863

Lake is drained

Mexico City 2020

Exponential growth

Parks

Contemporary

Urban parks considered to be representations of nature designed to promote a better society. Like cities, these parks became subject to modernization: In most cases, sections of the park are segmented to create dedicated or specialized uses.

E.g., Garden Santa Fe

Formal

Just like the name suggests, formal parks/gardens follow a very formal layout and are elaborately designed. Being that Spain had a great influence in Mexico City, the European style gardens are still sported in some parts of the city.

E.g., Parque Hundido

Informal

Informal parks are not particularly designed and may be more prevalent in poorer or low income neighborhood. Although these spaces may not be properly planned or designed, they still serve social functions or as playgrounds for kids.

National Park

National parks are usually scenic areas of countryside that are lawfully protected by the federal government. These kinds of parks are usually preserved for their historical importance or just for the preservation of nature and wildlife.

E.g., Palenque National Park

2. Plazas

While looking at open space in Mexico City, there are two typologies that stand out. The 'Plaza Nacional' and 'Fragment Plazas'.

Plaza Nacional

The national plazas are historic centers of the city and were planned as integral parts of civic life. They are characterized by their large open spaces punctuated by a statue, garden, or monument structure. In a dense city, the open space really stands out as the defining feature. This open space is used by the people for large events, celebrations, protests, and the like. Surrounding these plazas are typically religious, civic, and cultural buildings.

Fragment Plaza

In Mexico city, as layers of time and different building and planning practices have imposed themselves onto the urban fabric, fragments of space are left over that are difficult to use for buildings. They might be located on an intersection with many streets cutting through or on a parcel with a large corporate building that does not take the full site. The people of Mexico City are very willing to take these spaces and create public life within them as they look for a place to sit, walk, or set up their kiosk selling food or various products. They might even become marketplaces over the weekend. City government has responded in kind by installing benches and trees or other amenities to 'formalize' these areas as spaces of public life.

3. Streets

The third type of open space in CDMX is streets. Four street typologies exist: the boulevard, pedestrian only, mixed use and the standard street

The Boulevard

Created in the late 1800's under Spanish colonial power, the Mexican boulevard since become a space increasingly centered around capital and development. Typically centrally located, these paseos have some of the most expensive real-estate in the city. Exercise, leisure and tourism take place in these spaces.

Pedestrian Only

Since the early 2000's many streets in central CDMX have been transformed into pedestrian only zones. These capital and development driven spaces dissuade public ownership of space and encourage tourism and consumption.

Mixed Use

Mixed use streets are cherished spaces in many Mexican neighborhoods acting as extensions of the cities park network and spaces the communities share. Filled with gardens, playgrounds and pathways these spaces are constantly activated with people from surrounding neighborhoods.

Standard Street

This widespread street type is arguably the most fundamental public space in CDMX. Varying in size from 1-4 lanes, these spaces host a variety of activities from street markets, food vendors and the continuous spill out from adjacent shops and restaurants.

Parks (green) and plazas (orange) location with annual average income - dark to light = high income to low

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