Space for equity: socioeconomic variations in the provision of public parks in Hermosillo, Mexico

Abstract

AbstractThis article examines the intersection between globalisation and allocation of open public space by testing the spatial equity hypothesis in Hermosillo, Mexico, a regional city impacted directly by global processes. Availability and accessibility of public parks were examined using a geographic information system and neighbourhoods were stratified into quintiles based on socioeconomic status. Overall, the analysis shows that the amount of public park space in Hermosillo is substandard and its distribution reveals a pattern of spatial inequity affecting primarily residents of poor neighbourhoods. We argue that as the economy of the city grows increasingly integrated into global circuits, the global-to-local connection materialises in an unequal competition between globalised spaces and local public space. This, in turn, leads to further relegation of neighbourhoods that are already on the margins of urban equity regarding access to public parks. This study extends prior research conducted in developed countries to a city in a developing nation and fills a vacuum of information that potentially can contribute to a more equitable development in Hermosillo.Keywords: public parksspatial equityneighbourhoodsglobalisationcity planning Notes1 In Mexico, the term "colonia" is generally used to designate a city subdivision or neighbourhood regardless of its urban or social characteristics. Colonias are generally identified by people as their place of residence within the city and are commonly used by local authorities as planning units in the provision of municipal services and policing.2 Green area is a land-use designation given to parcels used for the preservation of natural or cultivated vegetation and/or for recreational activities. It consists of public parks, plazas, street medians and other types of open public spaces (Ayuntamiento de Hermosillo Citation2006).3 Hermosillo has only one of such facilities. This park, known as La Sauceda, was constructed in 1994 by the state government and designed as a recreational and natural area to serve the entire city's population. Its location at the south margin of the city and the fact that it is operated by a private company, limits its accessibility to those residents with car and able to pay an entrance fee.4 Starting in 2000, INEGI released census data for a selected number of cities using colonia as the spatial unit of reference. Because municipal governments will not recognise informal settlements in their jurisdictions, INEGI explicitly included "invasions" and other irregular neighbourhoods in the colonias' boundary maps used in this analysis (INEGI Citation2005).