Territorial dynamics of segregation: the case of “ciudad solidaria”, Monterrey – Mexico

Abstract

Between 1960 and 1980 the Metropolitan Area of Monterrey (MAM) experienced a gradual transformation of its geoeconomical structure, reducing the relative importance of manufacturing but increasing services; raising their economy and participation in the national scene. Thereafter, in 1970-1990 period, MAM ranked third in largest population in Mexico. In the last two decades, it has been consolidating as a services node of Mexican northeast region. This has led to an intensive immigration phenomenon, seeking for a better quality of life. As a result, an urban growth with some environmental and social impacts, a non-well equipped urbanizations, higher mobility costs and time, territorial fragmentation, and the increase in insecurity and organized crime. This work is aimed to characterize and describe the types of residential segregation and its urban impacts in places with particular physical and social limits in response to the growing importance of insecurity; places where walls and private security devices has been appeared as marks of distinction. “Ciudad Solidaria” has been studied in this framework because there has been located this type of subdivisions (middle class type), surrounded by traditional lower class neighborhoods, which emphasizes the distinction in the quality of housing of different socioeconomic levels. The analysis used statistical data from the National institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Cadastre and field survey, which was formed with a GIS. The empirical analysis is performed using descriptive statistics, summary measures of segregation and correlation.