Guadalajara, a city that I've known for over 30 years, surprised me on my latest visit. Back in 2013, I wrote on my blog that it was a city full of promise but lacking leadership and competent management. This puzzled me because Guadalajara has attributes that many cities would envy. These include an almost ideal climate, a vibrant and young population, a strong cultural life, and a nice collection of historic buildings. But for years, Guadalajara just wasn't approaching its potential. Money and people were leaving the central areas, leaving it looking forlorn, rundown, and unsafe. 

I'm very happy to report that things are changing. Guadalajara is becoming a more pleasant destination - a place in which I could imagine living and thriving. What has brought about this change? 

Evidence of the change comes in many forms, but fundamentally it stems from obvious investment in the core of the city. It's a signal that the city is committed to creating a better urban environment for its residents. This is welcoming a variety of people back into the city center and I imagine brings a sense of optimism that will have (or is already having) a snowball effect with other investment following. 

A prime example is the new bike-share system, mibici, and the new bike lanes that have been added to many streets. I used mibici for three days and found it really transformed my time in the city. I could move quickly between neighborhoods and felt the central areas had become tied together. I no longer had to face a very long walk from the center to Chapultepec, for example, or from the area of my favorite hotel to really anywhere of interest in the city. The system is very affordable and I noticed a large number of people using it. I even noted capacity constraints in certain areas. It's clearly a popular addition to the urban scene. 

One of the telltale signs of Mexican city life is the ramshackle private buses that constitute a central part of  'public' transportation systems. These buses tend to be old and unattractive, and spew out huge amounts of pollution. 

Guadalajara is investing in new, city run public transportation projects. One of the most delightful is the new electric trolley buses that have replaced the derelict old electric buses from years past. These buses are beautiful, clean and a pleasure to ride (pictured here). I rode this bus several times and felt it was really up to typical European standards of public transport.. 

Guadalajara has other nice public transport options: its very clean light rail system, Tren ligero de Guadalajara (which is currently building a new line) and a bus-rapid transit line, Macrobus. 

Another sign of change is the spate of new high-rise construction projects west of the city center in the area near Chapultepec. The style of these buildings reminds me of buildings in nicer neighborhoods of Bogota, Colombia, a far denser city. The increase in density (and higher-income residents) will bolster local businesses such as restaurants and cafes and increase security. It's the beginning of a virtuous cycle of positive developments which I feel has finally come to this city. 

In contrast with Bogota, I should say that Guadalajara has a more laid-back and less-frenetic atmosphere, aided by the warm and sunny (but not too warm) climate that has got to be one of the best in the world. ​

The days I spent in Guadalajara were filled with a sense of adventure and enjoyment. There are many lively and delightful neighborhoods away from the typical tourist areas, such as the district around Calle Andrés Terán, that overflow with energy and tasty surprises, such as my favorite spot for tortas ahogadas, Mr. Paco´s.

A friend of mine from New York came for a visit, and she agreed that Guadalajara really would be a nice place to live. We enjoyed leisurely walks, delicious food, beautiful cafes, and the typically friendly Mexican people everywhere we went. Adding to the pleasure is the remarkably low cost of living here. Delicious meals can cost less than US$5, and the cinema less than US$3. Guadalajara, incidentally, has an outstanding independent film house, Cineforo, where I recently saw an excellent Iranian film, The Salesman. For those interested, Guadalajara is not a bad place to retire. A large apartment in a nice area near the center can run for less than US$500/month. 

As I wrote several years ago, Guadalajara has a lot of very attractive architecture and cultural attractions that need to be brought together into a cohesive whole to make this city really outstanding.

Although progress is being made, more pedestrianization of streets in the center - especially those that reach out to landmarks such as the Expiatorio (pictured at right) and the Chapultepec area - would help more fully tie things together.

A couple of good candidates would be Calle Priscilana Sànchez and/or Calle Manuel López Cotilla. At present these streets have narrow sidewalks and are traversed by polluting private buses of the old sort making them uninviting corridors for pedestrians. Their unwelcoming nature reinforces the sense of distance between the historical center and other beautiful areas of the city.

How difficult would it be to close one of these streets to traffic and just let pedestrians and businesses take over? It puzzles me how controversial rather simple solutions like this can be, especially in light of all the evidence from around the world showing how pedestrianization can bring connective streets like these to life, increasing quality of life and increasing economic activity significantly.

One of the joys of arrival in a foreign city is picking up a local newspaper, heading to a cafe and just absorbing the scene while perusing the news. In Guadalajara, I get the Latin American edition of El Pais (one of the best newspapers in the world, I believe), and with that stroll over to a sunny sidewalk cafe or restaurant and get settled in for a couple of hours. The simple pleasures of life are really hard to beat. Add to that the smiles of the ever-charming Mexicans, and I am a happy man here in Guadalajara. I will be back to spend more time in this lovely city.

Walking along the beautifully pedestrianized Madero Street in the heart of Mexico City, I was struck with nostalgia for Istiklal Street in Istanbul. Istiklal is the famous pedestrian street, lined with elegant buildings, stores and restaurants, that runs southwest from Taksim Square in the old European heart of Istanbul (see image below and my previous posting on Istanbul here). 

Comparing a street in Mexico City to a world-famous street in Istanbul might seem a provocation - and that it is. I want to lure readers into the mental exercise of repositioning Mexico City into a different category of place. 

Shedding some preconceptions opens the mind to a revealing comparison that extends beyond two lively pedestrian streets. These cities have a range of things in common and, in fact, if I had to choose a city that Mexico City most reminds me of, it just might be Istanbul.

Mexico City and Istanbul are very old cities, built upon layers of earlier civilizations, with huge populations (well over 10 million inhabitants each). They are filled with a vast array of historical and architectural treasures and have teeming streets, vast markets, elegant neighborhoods, and share an exhilarating vibrance. Incidentally, both cities were built on water, although in Mexico City's case the water has almost entirely disappeared. Comparing these cities also makes sense from an economic perspective: Mexico and Turkey have roughly equivalent incomes per head. It's illuminating to see the contrasts between cities of similar resources and size managing the challenges of creating an attractive and healthy urban environment.  

But while Istanbul is a mecca for tourists from all over the world, Mexico City remains a relative tourist backwater in comparison. It hasn't yet gained the recognition it deserves for the positive changes it's experienced over the last years and for its wealth of attractions and the impressive ambience it has in so any areas. 

Below is another image of Madero Street in Mexico City (left), and a picture of Istiklal Street in Istanbul (right).

Up front let me say that my verdict on Mexico City is in: you don't have to fly across the Atlantic or Pacific to visit a dynamic, exotic and captivating global city. 

Mexico City has pretty much everything any tourist, adventurous or not, could ask for. It has countless museums, shopping for all tastes, regional and international food, and overall a breathtaking level of urban vitality. 

There are only two cities in North America that offer this kind of dense city experience: New York and Mexico City. In Mexico City, however, you can immerse yourself in the urban scene for a small fraction of what it would cost in New York. I think Mexico City qualifies as one of the best kept secrets of North American travel. 

What I imagine to be Mexico City's unglamorous reputation is mostly a relic from the past that will fade as this city continues to improve and gains the attention it deserves. 

One of the things that makes Mexico City such an engaging and fascinating city is that it is over-endowed with a lot of friction. Friction, in this sense, is the the density of details on streets, details that make you want to stop and take a look, buy something, or have a seat and get something to eat or drink. You can see this in most of the pictures I've included in this posting. Mexico City just overwhelms your senses with the array of things on offer. A walk along the streets here is rarely uneventful.

An obvious starting point of a visit to Mexico City is the historical center. This area exudes character and, with the slightest help from the imagination, elegance. It is arguably the most extensive area of historic architecture in the Western Hemisphere. Few cities I've visited in North or South America can compare, although Buenos Aires gives Mexico City some serious, if more recent, architectural competition. Thanks to a concerted effort at restoration and revitalization, it now rivals even great European cities in terms of its attractiveness and beats most of them hands down when it comes to verve and dynamism. 

Below are images of some of the vibrant (often pedestrianized) streets of the historical center. 

Although tourists might imagine spending the bulk of their time in the historic center, this is just the beginning of what's on offer in this complex city. There are several extensive areas with rather dramatically different personalities. 

West of the center is Zona Rosa, which reminds me of modern areas of European cities, such as Barcelona or Madrid. Zona Rosa was once the wealthiest area of the city, but went into decline after the 1920s. It has since reinvented itself as a major center for shopping and entertainment. I think most tourists probably stay in this area because of its convenience, wealth of hotels and restaurants, and general attractiveness. Maybe it's the least exotic part of the city and most accessible for visitors. 

South of the Zona Rosa lie the Bohemian neighborhoods of Condesa and Roma. These areas, like Zona Rosa, have a history of being wealthy neighborhoods that went into decline as wealthy populations moved further west. They are built on a smaller, more intimate scale than Zona Rosa, and from what I observed, are gentrifying rapidly. This is the place to go to find trendy cafes and restaurants set in generally quiet and green streets. 

Further west of the Zona Rosa you will find the very exclusive and newer centers of wealth in neighborhoods such as Polanco and Lomas de Chapultepec. These areas, like clusters of the super wealthy in most large cities around the world, impress you with the extraordinary riches on display including high-end restaurants, stores and hotels.  

This is just a quick summary of some of the neighborhoods I've visited in this city.  A week or two here would barely scratch the surface of what's on offer. 

Below are views of streets in Condesa and Zona Rosa.

My case for parallels between Mexico City and Istanbul weakens critically, however, when you wander beyond the nicer sorts of neighborhoods I've described a bit above. The differences do not generally speak in Mexico City's favor.

The divergence is immediately evident in the differing attention to the details of infrastructure such as streets, sidewalks and other public spaces. It's plain to see in the obviously far more inequal society that Mexico is. And in all neighborhoods, rich and poor, the difference is there in the far poorer (if somewhat improved) air quality. These issues are important to raise because together they conspire to significantly drag down Mexico City's quality of life. Without addressing them effectively, Mexico City will never be as great a city as Istanbul.  

Ramshackle infrastructure is one of the characteristic features of Mexico's cities. It's apparent almost everwhere you go, with some exceptions, notably the infrastructure used by the upper classes, such as international airports.  The state of most streetscapes is stunningly apocalyptic. There is a haphazard look to construction, a seeming lack of any master plan, scraggly trees where they exist, and vast expanses of roughly poured concrete, with garbage strewn everywhere. This raggedness, combined with unattractive buildings spread out in a kind of low-density sprawl, makes for a uniquely unpleasant city experience in a large part of Mexico City's area. What I've written above about the delightful neighborhoods is true, but they make up a just one part of the city. Mexico City is so big that even if only 30% of its area is pleasant, that provides a huge area for tourists - and the wealthy - to enjoy. But it is truly a different world when you get away from the nicer areas.

Istanbul, in contrast, is a proud European city. It obviously takes pride in its general tidiness and sense of order in all of its neighborhoods, even the poorest. Istanbul, also a city of great contrasts, has much smaller areas of despair, and these are being renovated at a feverish pace (often to the dismay of those fighting for the rights of the poor). One reason for the less striking contrasts is the lower level of inequality in Istanbul. The poor are poor, but seemingly not as desperately poor as in Mexico City. 

The pictures below contrast the streets of Mexico City (top 3 pics) with those of Istanbul (bottom 3). Although I may have chosen nice examples from Istanbul, these are the norm, not the exception. I don't think I saw one street in Mexico City as nicely laid out and constructed as most common newer streets in Istanbul. Istanbul is another world, a city exhibiting a high level of urban organizational competence. 

An area where Mexico City compares favorably to Istanbul is in its extensive metro system. The system covers wide parts of the city and compared to cities in the United States and Europe, is very inexpensive (about 35 US cents for a ride anywhere the system goes).

During rush hours the metro is extremely crowded and not pleasant to use, but otherwise it's a great way to get around the city. I was impressed with the general level of cleanliness (easily cleaner and better maintained than the New York subway) and the polished stone floors. It's also an ideal place to see a wide spectrum of people and to witness the never-ending drama of vendors, musicians and others passing through the cars. 

The metro does not, however, cover all of the city. In fact, considering Mexico City's population, the system is smaller than it should be. Far too large a share of public transport takes place on terribly crowded buses (often privately run) that are not integrated with the metro system. If a low-wage Mexican worker has to take a couple of buses, or a bus and then the metro, to get to work, this can add up to a huge amount of time and significant cost. There are plans afoot to modestly expand the metro system in the next few years.

Below are couple of pictures of the artwork in one station and the unusual rubber-tired trains (as in Paris) which make for surprisingly quiet and smooth operation. 

There is one additional feature of Mexico City that truly stands out. I've never been to a city with such a proliferation of public washrooms. They are literally everywhere and cost less then 40 US cents to use. Just look for a WC sign. See shots below.

I think it's fitting to end with a picture of a congested highway in the middle of the city (left) because autos are both a symptom and a cause of so many of Mexico City's problems. 

Because the upper and middle classes generally don't use public transport, cars dominate the streetscapes of this city. And because this influential constituency doesn't use the trains or buses, they don't demand improved public transport. The problem perpetuates itself. With ever larger numbers of cars on the crowded streets, bus transport becomes slower and slower and air pollution stays at levels that are totally unacceptable. 

Despite being a place very well worth a visit, without addressing its serious societal inequalities, including the stark divide in mobility, Mexico City will be condemned to an average quality of life well below its peers around the world. For tourists on a one or two week visit it's rather easy to ignore most of these quality-of-life issues. I believe most visitors will come away positively surprised and charmed. I know I will be back.

I've spent most of the last 8 months in a Mexican village on the shores of Mexico's largest lake - Lake Chapala.  My parents retired here here over a decade ago, and I've been helping take care of my mother who sadly had a terminal illness.  Living in a small village was a dramatic change for a big city kind of guy, but the experience was rich on many levels.  And as I'm always on the lookout for ideas on how to improve urban sustainability and biodiversity I managed to learn some urban design lessons while here that should be applied in large cities.

The sustainable design visible in Ajijic results, in fact, from being behind the times. Modern, efficient construction techniques are only beginning to filter into the structure of the town.  Roads are generally not paved with smothering asphalt or cement, but instead with stones hand placed on a natural foundation of dirt.  These stones are quarried locally, are put into place without any mortar, and provide a very durable and long-lasting surface that is permeable to rain.  The roots of trees and other vegetation can grow nicely under the streets.  When changes are required the stones are simply dug up and rearranged.  An added advantage to these natural streets is that they do not encourage high speed auto traffic.  The roads are a bit rough for cars, so drivers generally drive slowly.  Traditional construction techniques extend into housing.  Most everything in this village is built from bricks and clay tiles.   Cement is used for the underlying structures of the houses (and for mortar, as well), but generally speaking there are few non-biodegradable materials used.  When local houses are abandoned, they sort of dissolve back into nature. 

Another striking thing about Ajijic is the proliferation of green on all sides.  There are gardens and trees wherever you look, and the ubiquitous stone walls are generally covered with flowering vines.  Biodiversity, already very high in this part of Mexico, is astounding.  Although many non-native species of plants are grown around houses, birds of many colors, small animals and insects are in abundance.  The surrounding mountains, largely undeveloped and disturbed only by some traditional agriculture, are also sources of beauty and biodiversity. 

Most large cities don't have the nature-rich, mountainous backdrop of Ajijic (nor the near-ideal climate), but there is no reason they can't adopt the sustainable and biodiversity-enriching practices I see around me here. Many streets and alleyways in U.S. cities could be, at least in part, made from permeable, natural pavements.  I mention the U.S. because in Europe permeable streets are much more common.   Both European and American cities can strengthen efforts to increase the variety of trees and shrubs they plant, choosing those varieties that encourage and nurture wildlife.  Spaces that generally are not green, such as the walls of buildings, can be retrofitted to support vines and other plants and provide nesting sites for birds.  These may seem like radical ideas, but here in Ajijic they surround you on all sides.  I will miss this corner of Mexico. 

Guadalajara, the center of Mexico's second largest metropolitan area, is a city I've come to know over several decades.  My grandparents used to spend their winters here (in the 1980s), and my parents have made the nearby village of Ajijic their retirement home for the last 10 years.  There are thousands of expatriates from all over the world in this area and the attraction is easy to see.  It has one of the best climates anywhere on the planet and is wrapped in the beauty of the mountainous mesa central, Mexico's altiplano region.

The physical charms of the city of Guadalajara, however, are harder to appreciate.  Despite a historic center studded with hundreds of impressive buildings, the quality of the urban experience is greatly compromised by jarring architectural blight, streetscapes overwhelmed by traffic in cars and smoke-belching, ramshackle buses, and a serious shortage of trees.  Considering Mexico's relatively high economic standing, lack of resources cannot be a fair excuse for this state of affairs.  Mexico has an income per head well above the Latin American average and one significantly higher than that in Belgrade or Bogota, cities I've written about favorably here.  It's obvious that something has seriously gone wrong with city governance and planning.  Tapatios, as the people of Guadalajara call themselves, are proud of their city and may be surprised to read what I write here.  But compared to so many other cities at this economic level, Guadalajara has a lot of work to do to catch up. 

Let me put my disappointment into context.  Whenever I go into the center of Guadalajara I feel a sense of promise.  The ingredients required for a stunningly beautiful urban scene are all here.  I'm not exaggerating.  As I mentioned earlier, there is a wealth of impressive architecture, from colonial to neoclassical, with many beautiful plazas and parks.  There is also a lively pulse due to a youthful population  Yet, the beautiful assets are disconnected and mixed in with unsightly buildings, low-end retail and gaudy fast food establishments.  The areas of beauty are strung together by charmless and unwelcoming streets.  This is a city that seems to willfully ignore its own potential (and problems), leaving its incredible assets wasted.  It's why Guadalajara itself never features as a top tourist destination in Mexico.  In discussions with people here I sense complacency.  There is limited recognition that the city lags so severely in quality of life.  And without this recognition there is, I imagine, limited public demand for the changes necessary to tie all the wonderful things this city has to offer into a compelling whole.

The quality of life deficit derives from   many things, including a society plagued by high levels of inequality and undeniably poor planning and city governance.  The inequalities have produced social problems that have driven the middle and upper classes out of the center of the city into quiet and safe suburban enclaves.  City and regional leaders did seemingly little to stem this flow and encouraged unending sprawl by building wide roads, almost like highways, radiating out from the center.  Instead of bolstering the historic center by maintaining high quality infrastructure and creating incentives for the middle and upper classes to stay, the center was allowed to deteriorate and become, in many areas, a haven for beggars and criminals.  It was no longer a meeting place for all segments of society, but primarily a commercial center for the lower classes. 

So instead of investing in the center and establishing policies that would encourage density and vertical growth, the Guadalajara region has opted, if by plan or negligence, to expand horizontally.  In structure, it has more in common with large cities in the United States than with those in Europe or South America.  Yet, unlike the United States, Mexico is not a wealthy country where automobile ownership is the norm.  Despite having nearly 5 million people in the metro area, most of whom are dependent on public transport, the region does not have a well developed, integrated public transport system. For those in poverty, this disorganization means grueling, multi-segment and expensive commutes.

It wouldn't be fair not to point out the recent efforts that are being made to improve the center of Guadalajara, although in my opinion they are piecemeal.  In many areas of the center new, wider stone sidewalks have been laid, often with tree plantings.  There are now pole-mounted garbage cans on many streets, and plans are afoot to extend the metro and add more rapid-transit bus lines.  Some serious urban renewal is taking place, especially in the Chapultepec area, where new high-rise apartment buildings are under construction and the young and trendy congregate.  However, it is still in the outlying suburbs where the major development takes place. Puerta Hierro, an exclusive commercial and residential high-rise development, is a case in point.  It is far from the city center and difficult to access without a car.

What I have't been able to find is a clear vision and master plan for the urban renewal of central Guadalajara - a renewal that includes the return of the middle and upper classes (and tourists) to the city center.  It would require getting cars off more of the streets and a great expansion of pedestrian areas, replacing polluting, derelict buses with modern, quiet and clean alternatives, the widespread construction of quality multi-story housing, and incentives to get desirable businesses back into the center.  There are many excellent models available.  Santiago, Chile provides one example of how a thriving Latin American city center, inclusive of all socioeconomic groups, can look.  See my posting on Santiago here.  With the right policies and investment, Guadalajara has what it takes to become an elegant, walkable city with a thriving, inclusive city culture.  It can also become a top destination for tourists to Mexico.

PLEASE SEE MY NEW BLOG POSTING IN 2017 ON POSITIVE CHANGES IN GUADALAJARA: http://www.citinature.org/city-livability-blog/category/guadalajara