Mexico City officials have launched a comprehensive plan to tackle gentrification, addressing concerns about rising housing costs displacing long-term residents. The initiative is titled “Order 1 for a Livable and Affordable City with Identity and Local Roots.” It introduces measures such as rent control, a rental price index, and regulations for short-term rentals like Airbnb.
Mayor Clara Brugada’s Housing Master Plan also features a project aimed at creating thousands of affordable rental units. The mayor emphasized a “firm decision to confront gentrification through public policies focused on housing justice.”
Key Targets and Components
The plan primarily targets neighborhoods with substantial rent increases, particularly in the Cuauhtémoc and Miguel Hidalgo boroughs. Specific areas include:
- Hipódromo
- Condesa
- Juárez
- Roma Norte
- Roma Sur
- Doctores
- Buenos Aires
- Escandón
- San Miguel Chapultepec
Key components of the plan include:
- Establishing a Reasonable Rental Price Index
- Enforcing a law that limits rent increases to the previous year’s inflation rate, starting in 2024
- Creating a Tenant Rights Ombudsman office
- Proposing the “Fair, Reasonable and Affordable Rent Act”
Public Response and Underlying Issues
The initiative comes amid increasing public protests against gentrification, highlighted by a recent demonstration in the Condesa neighborhood. Real estate experts attribute gentrification to Mexico City’s housing shortage, with six in ten residents living in overcrowded conditions. Federico Sobrino, president of the Mexico chapter of the International Federation of Real Estate Agents, recommends streamlining construction permits to help resolve the housing crisis.
The city government plans to hold discussions with various stakeholders, including anti-gentrification activists, through working groups, forums, and meetings to refine these measures further.
For more information, you can read the full article on Mexico News Daily.
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