The Mexican president wants to make history: After the events of the War of Independence (1810 – 21), the Revolution (1910 – 17) and the War of Reform (1858 – 61), the time has come for a «fourth transformation» starting in the summer of 2018 – to be achieved in just six years. After decades of politics by the ruling elite and increasing corruption scandals, violence, poverty and impunity, the left-wing nationalist Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or AMLO for short, was elected Mexico’s new president. He has three years left in his term, after which, as usual, all government personnel will be replaced, even if the next president belongs to the same party. Although hardly anyone doubts that radical changes are necessary in Mexico, the question arises: How does one plan to fundamentally transform a country plagued by problems in just six years?

Improvement through architecture

Architecture is to play a role in this battle. AMLO wants to use it for his transformation «as an instrument of social change,» as is officially stated in the documents of the Ministry of Agricultural, Territorial and Urban Development (Sedatu). Its head is a young architect: Román Meyer Falcón took over at the age of 35. In just three years, he established the Programa de Mejoramiento Urbano (PMU); the Urban Improvement Programme has already realized more than 700 public infrastructures throughout the country. The results so far have been wide-ranging, from large facilities such as markets and community centers to skate parks, parks and new street lighting. In fact, the need for improvement projects is huge, especially since little public architecture was built for about half a century. Shopping centers provided the only «public» space in many places and for a long time. Every now and then, a showcase project designed by a famous name emerged in affluent areas of the country.

Mexico’s population grew from 52 million to 126 million between 1970 and 2018. During the same period, wealth in the rich neighborhoods increased strikingly, while the poor and uncontrollably growing urban areas were left without even the most basic facilities. Until the change of government in 2018, politicians paid little attention to poor areas, despite the fact that more than 40 percent of the population – and thus of those eligible to vote – live in these neighborhoods.

A big roof that does it all

It is precisely in these disadvantaged areas that Meyer Falcón’s PMU program is aimed at «counteracting violence and strengthening the social fabric,» as stated. The ambitious project aims to reach as many deprived people as possible. Quantity is therefore at the top of the agenda, and with it comes a high degree of time pressure. According to the Mexican mentality, fully thought-out projects and perfection are not the goal, nor are they feasible given the tight time frame. Instead, the guiding principle is Vamos pues! («let’s get started!»), and corrections are made in the process if necessary.

A collective of five architects founded specifically for the new possibilities of public architecture in Mexico, calling itself «Cósmica, 7ógica, 3ficiencia, 3conomía» («cosmic, logical, efficient, economical,» with the initial letters upside down) or Colectivo C733, has been involved in the PMU projects from the beginning and has since been able to secure long-term collaboration through direct commissions. In 2019 and 2020, the architects had only three months from the first sketch to the start of construction. In order to nevertheless achieve the highest possible quality in each case, the collective opted for a simplified, systematized architecture that it uses for its projects spread throughout the country. In short, these interventions are always a big roof that covers everything.

Open for activity and social mixing

One of C733’s largest umbrella structures to date was inaugurated in August 2021 in the southern city of Tapachula. Located about 30 kilometers from the border with Guatemala, Tapachula is the central gateway for migrants attempting to cross into the United States from Central and South America via Mexico. The illegal and dangerous ride on the back of the cargo train La Bestia is used by thousands for this purpose. This train also ran through the middle of Tapachula until a hurricane destroyed the tracks in 2005. After the disaster, the station, which was built around 1930, lost its function and became a garbage dump. It wasn’t until 2018 that a citizens’ group worked to rid the area of trash and use the station building for small exhibitions and concerts. Selected as a Sedatu PMU improvement project in 2020, the site was rehabilitated. Two new roof structures by C733 create weather-protected open spaces for sports and cultural events.

The two 19-meter-high triangular shapes rise majestically on either side of the old train station. Strong, green steel girders every six meters demonstrate the large spans and are thus reminiscent of station halls from the industrial age. Bamboo cladding on the inside of the roof anchors the structure in its tropical surroundings, acts as a heat and sound absorber, and provides an installation level behind it. The 66- and 120-meter-long roofs are supported by concrete pyramids that contain rentable rooms distributed along their entire length, as well as several restroom facilities. Crosswise to the ridge, passages connect the complex with adjacent neighborhoods at four points. A view from the outside through the passages reveals basketball courts, rows of spectator stands, picnic tables, and a children’s playground that attracts both local residents and the many people as they pass through: sports and culture unite the people under one imposing roof.

The openness of the cultural and sports facility is possible thanks to Tapachula’s tropical climate. With its open base and open ridge, the roof provides the necessary ventilation and at the same time protects against the frequent heavy rains. However, the spectator seats on the sides are particularly exposed to the rain, as the roof has been cut out here. Although the response to the new icons in Tapachula has been mostly positive, the committee that emerged from the 2018 citizens’ initiative fears above all that the expensive project planned at the state level will soon no longer look the same as it did shortly after its inauguration and handover to the municipality.

Despite what appears at first glance to be simple materials – steel, exposed concrete, roof sheeting and bamboo – the committee worries that the local authority will be overwhelmed, especially with the maintenance of the bamboo material and with the size of the project. Rather than rely on politics, the volunteer committee is already seeking private funding for maintenance. It thus addresses the biggest weakness of PMU projects: Long-term sustainability and maintenance are not a given, in part because most involved lack experience due to a lack of practice with public infrastructure projects in the past. Architects have also had little opportunity to build publicly. They continue to finance themselves mainly through projects for the richest, although they are increasingly reluctant to present them.

Connecting neighborhoods with new settings

Founded precisely on the idea of minimal maintenance, the park designed by architects Taller Capital is located in the city of Ecatepec. Some 600 meters of gravel-filled plateaus with concrete retaining walls connect two poverty-stricken neighborhoods at the top and bottom of the slope. At the same time, they promote infiltration and thus protection against flooding. The connecting impact is reinforced by the extension of the popular streets that already existed in the surrounding informal settlements. Thus, some parts of the park are crossed by concrete paths with stairs and ramps that make both residential areas accessible to young and old. In the past, this was impossible. The familiar image of the street led to rapid appropriation and new meeting places. Children’s playgrounds and sports equipment are also located here. On the gravel plateaus, old trees as well as new pavilions provide valuable shade. From there, spectators can watch the lively football matches on the five fields.

The park is a great success during the day. Undoubtedly, Taller Capital’s new urban design is an improvement over the previous facility, which was abandoned, fenced, and therefore with no clear visibility and dangerous. But we are in the city of Ecatepec, an hour’s drive from the capital -, in one of the most dangerous places in the world, especially for women. Some local women report that nighttime insecurity around the new park continues to be enormous: the city government supposedly isn’t using the much-needed new lighting. Despite the best efforts of architects and urban planners, their hands are ultimately tied when it comes to the success of their project.

The spirit of optimism among architects who are awarded public contracts is refreshing and will hopefully make the architectural community aware of its social responsibility in the long term. The nationwide turbo acupuncture will not bring about the «social change» that AMLO grandiosely announced. And yet, in many cases, architecture can improve the quality of life of people who are in desperate need of it.