Changing Cities- Mexico City

Question 1

Site Mexico City

Answer 1

-Island in Lake Texcoco
-Lake was drained, on a higher point, flat land

Question 2

Situation Mexico City

Answer 2

-Central to routes for people and goods
-Surrounded by mountains which trap pollution

Question 3

Mexico City connections

Answer 3

-Central to main routes that connect South and North America

Question 4

Why is Latin American city pattern so complex?

Answer 4

-Population growth
-Income levels
-Housing segregation

Question 5

Land use model of Latin American cities

Answer 5

CBD- Banks, offices, government
Inner city- Middle class zones, ageing and modern apartments
Suburbs/Fringe- Some luxury areas, & crowded squatter settlements

Question 6

Mexico City
Urban-rural fringe?
Zone of maturity?

Answer 6

-Squatter settlements, poor areas often run by drug lord
-Middle class homes

Question 7

Mexico City
Market?
Spine?
Around the spine?

Answer 7

-Areas for selling goods
-Shops connected to major shopping centre
-Elite homes of the rich

Question 8

Mexico CBD?

Answer 8

-Banks, government, headquarters of private companies

Question 9

Natural increase in Mexico City?

Answer 9

-Less deaths due to improved healthcare
-Most of population is age of birthing
-Migrants also young

Question 10

Mexico City
Push factors?
Pull factors?

Answer 10

Push- lack of jobs, poor education, natural disasters
Pull- good healthcare, safety, job opportunities

Question 11

National migration in Mexico statistics

Answer 11

-Poor regions have low literacy rates
-Under 40% of people in poor regions have clean water
-In Mexico City, 82% of people have clean water

Question 12

International migration in Mexico

Answer 12

-Mexico City has international companies like Renault, Santander
-For cultural life in Mexico City

Question 13

Informal economy

Answer 13

Part of the economy that isn’t taxed or monitored by the government

Question 14

Aquifier

Answer 14

Underground store of water when permeable rock lies on impermeable rock

Question 15

3 problems caused by rapid growth in Mexico and statistics

Answer 15

*Waste pollution- clogs streets, drains, eyesore; produces 13,000 tonnes of rubbish a day
*Housing issues- causes squatter settlements & diseases like cholera
*Informal employment- unreliable income, poverty, 60% of jobs in Mexico City are informal

Question 16

Spatial inequality

Answer 16

Unequal distribution of wealth or resources in a geographical area

Question 17

3 Reasons for inequality in Mexico City

Answer 17

*Arrival from countryside- people from rural areas tend to be poor, live in slums
*Political power- people with power have better homes
*Working hours- poorer people work longer hours, 29% of people in Mexico City work very long hours

Question 18

Top down project

Answer 18

Large scale projects usually run or funded by the city government

Question 19

Bottom up project

Answer 19

Small scale projects often funded by the community or non-government organisations

Question 20

Top down projects
2 advantages
2 disadvantages

Answer 20

Ad- Can deal with large scale issues like air pollution; Likely to achieve its objectives
Dis- Take a long time to put into action; Don’t involve local people

Question 21

Bottom up projects
2 advantages
2 disadvantages

Answer 21

Ad- Don’t take long to get going; Small scale so people like to support it
Dis- Don’t have a lot of money; Can’t easily deal with large problems

Question 22

3 top down projects to improve quality of life in Mexico City

Answer 22

‘Barter Market’ where recyclable waste could be exchanged for vouchers for local farmers’ produce
Plan Verde, 15 year plan to fight environmental problems
Metro buses, eco-friendly, reduce air pollution, used by 1 mil people daily

Question 23

2 bottom up projects to improve quality of life in Mexico City

Answer 23

Locals working together in Neza to raise money to build schools
Residents growing food in rooftop gardens