The document outlines Mexico's National Urban and Housing Policy, which aims to provide dignified living conditions through sustainable development. The policy focuses on six key areas: 1) developing a new model of smart, sustainable urban development that improves quality of life; 2) promoting dignified, sustainable housing; 3) establishing sustainable mobility; 4) effective land management; 5) regional sustainable development and territorial planning; and 6) reducing disaster risks. Various strategies are proposed under each area, such as prioritizing public transport, strengthening local government capacity, and preventing settlements in high-risk zones.

1. Urban and
Housing National
Policy
COP19/CMP9
United Nations
Climate Change Conference
Warsaw 2013
November 2013

2. CONTENT
I.
Context:
Urban and housing reality in Mexico
II.
Urban and housing national policy:
Challenges, strategies and instruments
III. Sustainable strategies
IV. Instruments for controlling the growth of
urban sprawl

3. II. Urban and Housing National Policy
The National Urban and Housing Policy plays a crucial role in the
National Development Plan 2013-2018
Aim:
Providing an adequate scenario for the development of dignified
living conditions
Strategies
Axis:
Inclusive
Mexico
 Migrating into a new model of smart and sustainable urban
development which primarily fosters the quality of life for citizens
 Responsible reduction of Housing backwardness through
improving and retrofitting the existing housing stock as well as
promoting means for the acquisition of new dwelling
 Improving the mechanisms to coordinate institutions over the
three levels of government, to achieve sustainable territorial
planning, and boosting the development of regional, urban and
metropolitan housing.

4. II. Urban and Housing National Policy
The National Urban and Housing Policy plays a crucial role in
the National Development Plan 2013-2018
Approach:
Democratizing
productivity
Measures
 Promoting the efficient use of national territory through
jurisdictional certainty of land, mitigating agricultural land
partitioning, arranging urban territory and developing
competitive cities.

5. II. Urban and Housing National Policy
The target of the new model of urban development consist in elevating
the quality of life of Mexican families and consolidating sustainable,
productive and competitive cities
Axis
1. New model of urban
and metropolitan
development
4. Land Management
2. Dignified and
sustainable housing
5. Regional sustainable
development and
territorial management
3. Sustainable
mobility
6. Disaster risk reduction

6. II. Urban and Housing National Policy
1. New model of urban and metropolitan development
Strategies:
•
Consistent Geo-statistic
information systems for
efficient and integral
urban planning
•
Establish long term
agreements for urban
development with
government authorities
•
Peripheral urban
contention
•
Implement certified
developments to prevent
in uncontrolled sprawl
•
•
Financing housing with
territorial criteria
Availability of credits and
subsidies to prevent
urban growth towards
inadequate areas
•
Review local
development plans to
adapt for long term goals
•
Restrict new settlements
in non-urban and
conservation areas as
well as boosting new
projects to consolidate
their current land use
•
New program for rescuing
public spaces
•
New program for urban
consolidation and
housing rehabilitation

7. II. Urban and Housing National Policy
2. Dignified and sustainable housing
Strategies
• Specific actions in interurban areas
in collaboration with government
institutions promoting the
investment of public resources
• Integration of sustainable
technologies in the existing housing
• Actions for optimizing use of
available urban land
• Improving life conditions and
promoting a culture of neighbor
cooperation to preserve existing
housing

8. II. Urban and Housing National Policy
3. Sustainable Mobility
Strategies
• Collaboration mechanisms with local • Prioritize public investments
authorities to coordinate urban
towards public transport and nondevelopment plans with sustainable
motorized mobility; over private
urban transport policies.
vehicle infrastructure.
• Strengthen the technical capacities • Producing data to monitor
of local governments to develop
performance of the urban
guidelines for implementing projects
sustainable mobility policy
to reduce the use of cars.

9. II. Urban and Housing National Policy
4. Land management
Strategies
• Provide incentives for interurban
development in underused and
abandoned areas coupled with an
inclusive market vision
• Promoting state and council
agreements to generate local
regulatory instruments
• Updating and modernizing urban
planning and cadastral records
• Defining regulatory instruments to
establish responsibilities and
penalizing illegal land use and
occupation
• Recovering occupied federal right
of way along the cities to be used

10. II. Urban and Housing National Policy
5. Regional sustainable development
and territorial management
Strategies
• Complement master plans with
sizing tools such for the following
aspects:
• Competitively and regional
economic development
• Including low income social
sector
• Environmental sustainability
• Integrated urban and rural
development
• Sustainable urban mobility
• Creating regional development
agendas
•
•
•
Creating regional development
agendas
Consolidating regional
development planning process
Creating a new Regional
Development National Policy
which integrates initiatives for
social and economic
development

11. II. Urban and Housing National Policy
6. Disaster Risk Reduction
Strategies
•
•
•
•
Performing a global urban diagnosis to
identify:
• Vulnerability
• Risk type and frequency
• Quantifying and assessing threat
impact in economic, social and
environmental terms
Direct linkage between urban planning and
risk prevention policies to avoid settlements
in vulnerable areas
Avoid exercising federal resources in
projects located in risk areas
Engaging the society in the elaboration of
threat preventive policies
•
Developing efficient alert and evacuation
systems with the local authorities
•
Integrate and homogenize regulatory
tools along with civil protection and
environmental authorities
•
Strengthen collaboration between three
levels of government
•
Promote regulatory modifications to
establish responsibilities for civil servants
and penalties for allowing construction in
unsuitable areas