Lessons in Sprawl from an Abandoned Government Housing Program

"As cities in the increasingly urbanized developing world struggle to provide housing for low-income workers, Mexico’s housing saga illustrates the drawbacks of building developments with little heed to location or sustainability," according to an article by Victoria Burnett.

In this case, a program, "initially hailed by some experts as the answer to Mexico’s chronic housing deficit, fueled a frenzy of construction and helped inspire similar efforts in Latin America and beyond."

To explain the details of the fallout of the program, Burnett writes: "Thousands of homeowners have returned to the capital, leaving their houses prey to squatters and criminals. About 14 percent of Mexico’s 35 million homes are unoccupied; in Zumpango, that number is closer to 40 percent, according to research published last year by the Spanish bank BBVA."

The article includes more on the experience of life in places like Zumpango as well as what it will take for Mexico to find balance in its housing market.