PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 11 Community participation in the sustainable development of human settlements in Mexico City

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 11 Community participation in the sustainable development of human settlements in Mexico City Gustavo Romero, Patricia Nava and Lilia Palacios Introduction building. The Settlers Union of San Miguel Teotongo has worked to develop a Community organisations in low-income urban Neighbourhood1 Plan for local development areas of Mexico have been working with non- and environmental protection. governmental organisations in the field of Housing and environment in Mexico housing for around 30 years, searching for City alternative ways of ensuring that low-income groups can have access to housing and participate in decision-making about their Most Mexicans live in urban areas, the cities surroundings. Over the last few years, they have having grown in response to considerable incorporated the struggle to conserve, improve economic and population growth as well as and protect the environment into their approach. migration. The urban fringe has expanded in a This has resulted in a process called the `self- spontaneous and unregulated manner on managed promotion of popular housing', common or communally owned land (the most enabling people to transcend isolated prevalent form of land tenure around cities.) experiences and put forward signific ant Although the Government attempted to prevent proposals for ...