QUERÉTARO 2050
VISION TOWARDS A CITY THAT GROWS WITH QUALITY
ETHOS
With life comes space...
...then the city is built.
The core of this project is inspired by Jan Gehl’s famous methodology simplified by the phrase: “First life, then space, buildings at last”. The idea is to practice this thinking in order to design integral urban interventions in the built environment: first, acknowledge and understand the ecosystem that supports human life and of all beings, to provide the adequate space they require to develop their functions, and the city is the result, where this harmonic relationship between life and space takes place.
QUERÉTARO IN THE NATION
The Metropolitan area of Querétaro is part of the México City megalopolis, also known as the Megalopolis of central México. Today it represents the largest urban area in the country, with 37 million inhabitants, and will continue to grow up to 45 million in 2050. It contains the Greater México City area and surrounding metropolitan areas. The concept was proposed by the "Programa Gerneral de Desarrollo Urbano del Distrito Federal", for the creation of a metropolitan commission on the environment.
Cities have become the principal habitat of humankind. Within this Megalopolis, cities face challenges like social inequality and gentrification that have led to a well-known, often times unsustainable way of growing called “sprawl”. With it, cities have increased their ecological footprint, people have been displaced to live in suburban areas, forced to commute long distances causing high volumes of traffic congestion, lack of proper urban infrastructure, among others.
Locally called: “The granary of the Lowland”. It is connected to the US through the NAFTA Highway plus access to 4 Pacific and Atlantic Ocean Ports. It is the only region in Mexico with global investment grade in terms of industrial development. It contains the most advanced air operational center in Latin America.
Even if temporarily cancelled, there are plans to connect México City and Querétaro through a high speed rail. The distance between both cities is only 130 miles.
Querétaro is a growing tourism destination. With access to dozens of World Heritage Sites within a 100-mile radius. The city of Querétaro itself has a total of 1,889 historical monuments designated by UNESCO.
THE CITY’S CHALLENGES
Every year, the city of Querétaro grows an average of 10,200 people. The urban area has grown 32 times in 55 years.
Lack of open space
Uneven distribution of density
Single-use development
Unprotected aquifer recharge areas
Flooding zones within the urban footprint
THE CITY DESIGN PRINCIPLES
FRUITFUL
WALKABLE
BEAUTIFUL
CONSCIOUS
Maintain existing urban footprint.
A system of streets, plazas and parks.
Protect the Historical District.
Design for high-quality industrial parks.
Proposed Urban Vision for the Metropolitan Area of Querétaro
THE CITY’S STRATEGIES
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