› 2021, article in the feuilleton of the NZZ.
› For half a century, hardly any public architecture of lasting quality was built in Mexico. Politicians and architects focused on prosperity and the country’s elites. But recently there has been a spirit of change: a young generation of architects, commissioned by the leftist president elected in 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or Amlo for short, is dedicated to improving the living spaces of the poorest. In his six-year term, Amlo wants to fundamentally transform his country and create over a thousand new public infrastructures to bring about much-needed social change. The “social architecture” is being created at lightning speed and in the poorest and most violent regions of the country, which have been neglected by politicians for decades. Over forty percent of the population – and thus of those eligible to vote – live in these areas.
The full text can be found in the section «Learning from Mexico». An excerpt is presented here. The original language of the article is German. I have translated it into English myself and do not guarantee its accuracy.
Excerpt from the text:
Almost 800 construction projects in three years
High expectations are placed on architecture, as it is described as a «instrument of social change» in official documents of the responsible Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (Sedatu). The will for change and the conviction that their designs can actually lead to an improvement in the quality of life of the resident population are also shared by the architects involved. The planning of the market halls, community centres, parks, skate parks and street lighting was assigned as direct commissions. The Sedatu Ministry justifies this with the high time pressure under which competition procedures are not possible. As desirable and important as competitions in Mexico would be for quality and discourse, the Mexican authorities lack experience in dealing with competitions anyhow.
› 2021, article in the feuilleton of the NZZ.
› For half a century, hardly any public architecture of lasting quality was built in Mexico. Politicians and architects focused on prosperity and the country’s elites. But recently there has been a spirit of change: a young generation of architects, commissioned by the leftist president elected in 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or Amlo for short, is dedicated to improving the living spaces of the poorest. In his six-year term, Amlo wants to fundamentally transform his country and create over a thousand new public infrastructures to bring about much-needed social change. The “social architecture” is being created at lightning speed and in the poorest and most violent regions of the country, which have been neglected by politicians for decades. Over forty percent of the population – and thus of those eligible to vote – live in these areas.
The full text can be found in the section «Learning from Mexico». An excerpt is presented here. The original language of the article is German. I have translated it into English myself and do not guarantee its accuracy.
