Cultural Streets: An Approach To Lively Public Spaces In Downtown Juarez, Mexico
“The COVID-19 pandemic caused in the border region a series of devastating humanitarian, social and economic consequences. From the health crisis, to the closure of international crossings to the United States, the canceling of public life and the deterioration of public spaces. One of the most affected sectors was the historic center of Juarez with the low influx of visitors and the reduction of business and cross-border trade. At the end of 2020, the "Cultural Streets" project was created. The main objective was to contribute to the urban recovery of the city and the gradual reactivation of public life in the historic center of Juarez, using open space, urban art and tactical urbanism as allies.” Miguel Mendoza tells the story of how Mexican Juarez is finding its way to a more rooted way of living.
Photo: Miguel Mendoza
To understand the social and urban context of Juarez, one must begin by explaining its border location. Juarez is an industrial city located in the north of Mexico, in the state of Chihuahua and in direct proximity to the city of El Paso, Texas in the United States.
The 2020 Socioeconomic Radiography of the Municipality of Juarez from the Municipal Institute for Research and Planning indicates that Juarez has a population of 1,499,445 inhabitants and together with the Doña Ana and El Paso counties, sums a total binational population of 2,556,878 people. The population within the municipality of Juarez is made up of 50.12% men and 49.88% women. The average age among the community is 30 years old and one out of every three inhabitants is an immigrant, having been born in another state or country.
Juarez as an industrial city began to stand out in the 1960s, through the PRONAF / National Border Program promoted by former President of Mexico Adolfo Lopez Mateos. This program aimed to promote the economic and social development of the border regions through the export and manufacturing industry. To this day, the manufacturing industry continues to represent the economic core and engine of the city and borderland.
On the other hand, since the 1960s and as an effect of the industrial boom, Juarez has experienced marginal growth under irregular land appropriation schemes far from an urban development system. Towards the 1980s, the irregular growth took over the west of the city, on rough terrain near the Sierra de Juarez. In recent decades, urban sprawl has migrated southward with the development of social interest housing, leaving the complementary urban infrastructure in oblivion: schools, hospitals, libraries, parks, museums, public transportation among other examples.
Under this historical context, we can highlight that since 2014 our practice has focused on being an urban and cultural laboratory that seeks the dignity of communities and the creation of participatory public spaces, which are often non-existent or found in a regime of underuse and decay. By defining ourselves as a nomadic laboratory, we allow ourselves to act in the great diversity of communities and urban nodes that exist in Juarez. One of these important nodes is the historic center of the city.
The historic center of Juarez is by itself a phenomenon that requires particular attention. At one point in history, it could have been consolidated alongside that of the sister city of El Paso, Texas, but political and social events such as the Mexican Revolution (1910-1917) led to upheaval and deterioration in the area. Over the decades, this space has suffered from real estate speculation, population abandonment and the lack of public policies to reinject investment and dynamics aimed at sustainable development and the formulation of a city identity.
In the last two decades, governments and institutions have tried to implement a series of urban strategies to reactivate the historic center. However, these plans have constantly been undermined by a lack of future vision and budget continuity. One of the few battles won was in 2014 with the partial pedestrianization of 16 de Septiembre Avenue, the main street in the downtown area. This transformation at the time meant a milestone in urban recovery by providing free movement and pedestrian access to the main square, the cathedral and the few historic buildings in this sector.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused in the border region a series of devastating humanitarian, social and economic consequences. From the health crisis, to the closure of international crossings to the United States, the canceling of public life and the deterioration of public spaces. One of the most affected sectors was the historic center of Juarez with the low influx of visitors and the reduction of business and cross-border trade.
At the end of 2020, in collaboration with the Placemaking Mexico Foundation, the Coordination of Resilience in Juarez and the Municipal Institute of Culture, the "Cultural Streets" project was created. The main objective was to contribute to the urban recovery of the city and the gradual reactivation of public life in the historic center of Juarez, using open space, urban art and tactical urbanism as allies.
Photo: Miguel Mendoza
In May 2021, two months after the community vaccination began, we decided to carry out the first activation of the "Cultural Streets" project. The exact location was on the 16 de Septiembre pedestrian street, at the intersection of the Municipal Institute of Culture headquarters. After a series of participatory online workshops, a pocket park prototype was co-designed hoping to deliver a new post-COVID recreation alternative.
The result of "Cultural Streets" was the transformation of 300 square meters into a multifunctional common space and pocket park that promotes healthy coexistence, cultural exchange and the presence of new audiences, essential elements to elevate and reactivate downtown Juarez. Although a pedestrian street was already a victory, when equipped with urban amenities, landmarks and activities, the regeneration of public space becomes more feasible.
From May to the present November, this post-COVID urban intervention has been maintained thanks to the responsible occupation of its users and the support of various organizations and local government. The "Cultural Streets" project has managed to host three cultural festivals, circular economy bazaars and has also impacted the mentality of entrepreneurs in the area, showing the transformation of their immediate public space.
Photo: Miguel Mendoza
And now, what’s the next step? With the results that the "Cultural Streets" project has produced, we have been in charge of promoting the agenda of rescuing the historic center of Juarez from the perspective of its streets and public spaces. It is necessary to expand the strategy into an integral master plan that projects the transformation of urban voids to lively places with the help of international and local organizations, citizens, private initiative and the local government. The challenge is not only to create spaces, but to create the social, economic and cultural conditions that may permit spaces that are truly alive.
Photo:Miguel Mendoza