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DISSERTATION
Rebuilding Common Ground: Landscapes of Spatial Justice in Socio-Environmentally Vulnerable Territories in Mexico investigates the interplay between territorial planning, water management, and spatial justice within the context of Mexico's escalating water crisis. This research examines how recent state-led social infrastructure projects aim to rehabilitate landscapes in socio-hydrologically vulnerable areas across the country, with a focus on the implications for marginalized communities.
Through three case studies in the Highlands, Lowlands, and Hinterlands of Mexico, the dissertation explores the potential of these interventions to advance spatial and water equity. The study critically analyzes the rehabilitation of rural towns in Los Altos de Jalisco amid the Zapotillo Dam controversy, urban riverfront interventions in Villahermosa, Tabasco, and the reconstruction of Parque Bicentenario in Mexico City's Northern Hinterlands. Each case illustrates the complex dynamics of community empowerment, state-led development, and the challenges of achieving resilience in socio-environmentally fragile regions.
This work contributes to the discourse on urban development, spatial justice, and climate change by offering material perspectives on public land and water management policies. It situates architecture within broader socio-political and environmental contexts, emphasizing the need for integrated approaches that address both physical infrastructure and the power structures underlying socio-environmental vulnerabilities. Ultimately, the dissertation aims to identify pathways and obstacles to building more resilient and equitable rural and urban futures in Mexico's precarious political landscape.