Rehabilitation of urban rivers in Mexico. Citizen participation and public policies in three Mexican cities.

Abstract

Urban rivers present a complex problem resulting not only from the impacts of urbanization, but also from social and political visions that have determined human-river relations in cities. The rehabilitation of urban rivers is being integrated into public policy to varying degrees and with impacts that depend largely on the local context. This article reviews experiences of public policies to rehabilitate rivers in three Mexican cities in order to analyze their scope. It presents results of a collaborative research focused on the actions and strategies of neighborhood groups, civil associations, local governments and other actors to rehabilitate three urban rivers in Mexico. At the same time, the paper reviews public policy instruments from the international to the local level, in order to learn about official approaches to the problem of urban rivers. We conclude that although the rehabilitation of urban rivers is being integrated into public policy, the great diversity of experiences and the impact of the efforts complicates the application of a single national public policy, so it is proposed that this be based on the context and the participation of local actors.