Case Study: Rapid Urbanisation in Mexico City

Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Inequality in Mexico City

Mexico has one of the highest rates of inequality in the world. There are a number of reasons for this inequality.

Mexico has one of the highest rates of inequality according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The richest 1% of the population own almost half of the country’s wealth.
Oxfam Mexico states that:
- “While the wealth of Mexican multimillionaires is multiplied by five in 10 years, 48% of state schools have no access to sewerage, 31% have no drinking water, 12.8% have no bathrooms or toilets and 11.2% have no access to electricity.”

The government were not prepared for so many rural migrants so settlements were built in an unordered fashion.
Many areas were settled almost overnight, so basic services like electricity, water, social services and security wouldn't be available.

Many people work long hours for very little money due to lack of government legislation on wages.
This means people do not get paid fairly for the work they do, resulting in poverty for many.

Government corruption means that although the country has a high GDP, many people lack basic services like education and healthcare.

Rapid urbanisation has created a number of social and environmental challenges.

Rising population puts enormous pressure on an already struggling water supply.
This means water has to be pumped from reservoirs to the west of the city.
The remaining 70% of the city’s water supply comes from wells sunk deep into the underground aquifers, which are running dry.
The fact that Mexico City is 2,250m above sea level makes this particularly difficult.
As these underground aquifers are emptied, land sinks and buildings, power lines and sewage pipes are broken.

Like other rapidly growing cities, Mexico City grew so fast that the government could not keep up with the services and housing to support the population.
This caused the city to spread outward and many houses were made quickly without the proper foundations, hence the sprawling slums, called barrios, surrounding the city.
These barrios lack access to fresh water, do not have proper sewage necessities, and in many areas do not have electricity.
This contributes to an unhealthy population as well as damage to the environment.

Informal employment is a persistent problem in Mexico City.
Despite economic growth, there are still 13 million workers holding informal jobs, deprived of social protection and labour rights.
With no regular income, they are often forced to work many hours in difficult conditions.
One example is ‘rag picking’. This is when people pick through waste dumps in search for things they can reuse, sell or make things from. It is unsanitary and dangerous work that many people feel no other option but to do.

Rapid urban growth causes a number of environmental impacts.
Inadequate sewerage facilities lead to polluted water.
Unregulated growth leads to housing being built in environmentally sensitive areas.
A lack of gas or electricity leads to intensive cooking with wood fires, something that seriously compromises air quality.
Transport and industry have both increased, considerably contributing to environmental issues. This has a knock on effect on the health of people living in Mexico City.