Governance in the Valley of Mexico Metropolitan Area–VMMA

Abstract

The paper attempts an analysis of the Valley of Mexico Metropolitan Area –VMMA– (former Mexico City metropolitan
Area) from those different perspectives that bear upon the process of urbanization and the economic
and social challenges but, above, all those to any governance faced by this immense urban concentration.
From that made of the physical process of urbanization, the signal fact of the growth of capital-short
squatter settlements is pointed up along with a patent trend towards metropolitan sprawl and conurbation
development leading to the creation of a so called «megalopolis» (a metropolis of metropolis) the which is already
in the process of covering the whole of central region of Mexico, this representing no less than 6 federal
states (Hidalgo, Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala and the Federal District) and embracing more than
30 million inhabitants (2000). It is also here argued that VMMA is facing huge economic and social challenges.
The former the upshot of a lessening industrial growth along with the transforming of the metropolitan
economy into a services one, this creating a split along the lines of ,on one side, a modern global services economy
and on the other informal low income activities, these latter being marked by lessening returns over
the last ten years these leading in turn to squatter settlements, urban disorder and all ills else .The author
finishes by blaming the blight of weak government and a feeble metropolitan administration for the host of
ills borne by VMMA , these the outcome of a lack of a political willingness and an insufficient understanding
of the problems involved on the part of both the government of the Federal District and the State of
Mexico. Although these bodies are said to share responsibility for half of the metropolitan population and
urban area, they exhibit marked differences when it comes to financial planning and the many sorts of resources
necessary to promote the same.