The gaps that exist in the Regulation of Municipal Construction, have allowed urban settlements to take to the outskirts of the city, destroying the endemic biodiversity of the port
Mazatlan, Sin. – The growth of the port of Mazatlan in recent years has increased without control and constant vigilance on the part of the authorities; it is increasingly common to see green areas or hills populated by human beings, which are slowly depredating biodiversity, and with it, bring with them numerous problems of planning, services, and distances of routes.
Only in 2014, in a study carried out by the Municipal Planning Institute of Mazatlan , shows how in the last 24 years the urban expansion increased by 113%, being the equivalent to 4 thousand 406 hectares, having as consequences fewer inhabitants than they take advantage of every urbanized hectare, and a greater cost to bring public services to the periphery.
Jorge Estavillo Kelly, Director of Planning and Sustainable Urban Development, said that faced with this problem, the Commune opted to promote concentrated growth in areas of the already urbanized city, which were being wasted, where the construction is intended to be vertical and not horizontal.
For this reason, so far this year, no subdivision has been authorized. The construction is taking place in a concentrated way, in the center, in what is already, because right now the growth is vertical, with this we are not affecting and having to create new truck stops or bring services to such remote areas.
he architect said that so far there are five subdivisions that are seeking the approval of the Commune, distributed in several areas of the city, although mostly concentrated in the north, the new Mazatlan, which is close to the Marina area , which is of high surplus value.
There are two parts, the part of the new Mazatlan, there are settlements, no invasions and there are well-established constructions. If it is detected that there is an invasion, it is sent to evict to avoid major problems. This is from Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay up, where the CUM is, there are new developments rising.
He said that the objective of this new administration is to concentrate the population on what already exists, to implement measures that are in line with the actual needs of today; verticality, sustainability and greater use of space, is the goal.
We want to do what has been done in other cities, that everything goes upwards, no longer towards expansion, because every time we finish more forest areas and the environmental issue is important. We even have to update the regulations to unlock certain clauses that prevent us from building higher buildings, from detonating skyscrapers, where we can ensure that they will be able to enjoy all the services.
He assured that with this the municipality would be saved to take more infrastructure to the outskirts; public services, drinking water, drainage, electricity, would be where most would be saved. Past administrations did not foresee this when granting services.
“There are some subdivisions that should not exist, that struggle with the services for the same reason. That is why we are working on the modification of the new Construction Regulation, to avoid those gaps that it has, and thus avoid irregularities.
According to the Implan, currently a quarter of the urbanized city is untapped, since it has more than 2 thousand hectares that count all the services; vacant and immovable without occupation, are the most common inside the city center.
With the growth of the city the urban dynamics are modified, mainly because 75% of the sources of work and 68% of the schools are located in the downtown area of the city, forcing the inhabitants to move long distances; this also includes health and administrative units.
The consequences of this, according to the Implan, are traffic jams during peak hours in connection points and main roads, as well as higher transportation costs, both for providers and individuals, due to the long routes.
NEW ROUTES WILL OPEN
Both the Urban Trucks Alliance of Mazatlan and the Autotransportes Águilas del Pacifico project the creation of new truck routes, as well as the expansion in some, in order to meet the demand in the port, especially due to the accelerated urban growth that it is detonating in the north and south of the municipality.
Juan Zataráin Velarde, president of Autotransportes Águilas del Pacifico, reported that they currently have seven routes, where they focus on connecting the north zone with the city center; The expansion of the routes will focus on the area of Cerritos, Real Pacífico and Pradera Dorada, since the detonation of growth is greater there.
We have requested some extensions and some new routes, as has the Urban Bus Alliance, we just need to finalize the agreement to provide this service to all users. Our seven routes are covered with a total of 93 trucks. We believe that they will be given for the next school year, we would be talking about August-September nothing more.
For his part, Rodolfo Osuna Osuna, president of the Mazatlan Urban Bus Alliance, announced that, like motor carriers, they are currently seeking authorization for the expansion and opening of new routes, since the 42 with which they currently have they are not enough to cover the high demand in the peripheral area of the city; the disorderly growth, has caused the increase of the costs to offer the service.
The city is growing everywhere, even so, we are ready to give service to any part of the city. Once we have the study, we will know how many new routes will be required to open. Hopefully, we will also be given the adjustment to the rate, because every day the routes are longer, the fuel is more expensive and the trucks are the same.
He added that last Tuesday 25 new buses arrived, which will be conditioned and introduced to the current existing routes, with this the Alliance would have a total of 530 buses at the disposal of the citizens.
Both urged the authorities to bring order to urban growth, because the longer the distances, the more expenditure on supplies, and therefore the rate will tend to go to high, a situation that does not suit the user in its economy.
WHATS NEXT?
In May 2017, the National Human Rights Commission, together with UNAM and the United Nations Development Program, conducted a study on sustainable cities and human rights, concluding that an organized city results in a healthy society.
Among the actions that make a difference, is to delimit urban growth, increase safe and efficient collective transport, make mixed use of areas where residences and businesses coexist, vertical buildings, green public spaces for all, order that favors the use of transport non-motorized, as well as pedestrian mobility; control of automobiles, green architecture, betting on renewable energies, managing waste and efficient water management.
DATA
348 is the approximate number of urban settlements that exist in Mazatlan
142 are colonies
197 are subdivisions
4 housing units
2 commercial zones
5 subdivisions expect to receive permission to continue construction
3 out of every 4 inhabitants of the city live in the peripheral zone
Source: el sol de mazatlan
The Mazatlan Post
