Evaluation of an urban megaproject. A Model City

Abstract

The construction of urban megaprojects, seen as urban interventions with a mix of land uses, construction of residential areas, facilities and infrastructure that improve accessibility and interest in the real estate market with the collaboration of the public sector, have become increasingly common, especially in large cities, but the public sector being in charge of the construction of a new city, as was done in the middle of the last century with Brasilia or Chandigarh, is no longer so common. However, the government of the State of Puebla proposed the construction of a megaproject as an incentive for the German company Audi to install its new automotive plant in Puebla territory. At the beginning of 2017, Ciudad Modelo was inaugurated with two housing complexes, 19 facilities, green areas, parking lots and the infrastructure necessary to supply the services required by the 159.94 ha megaproject (first stage). The idea was attractive, to build a city five minutes away from the most important source of employment in the region, however, the results have not been as expected because seven years after its inauguration, not all the apartments built in the two multi-family homes have been sold. Newspapers define it as a ghost town, a situation that motivated the research presented in relation to the socio-territorial results caused by the Decentralized Public Organization called Ciudad Modelo (OPDCM), assessing the results of the organization in urban, political, social and ecological aspects. The positive and negative actions carried out by the organization were identified, but also those that the inhabitants themselves had to do to solve the deficiencies they face when living in this city.