Towards environmental sustainability in residential areas. The case of San Andrés Cholula, Puebla, México

Abstract

In Mexico there are regulations at the national level that propose strategies for environmental sustainability, however, they hardly permeate the local scale. For their part, some private promoters develop incipient initiatives of environmental practices in housing developments, using eco-technologies, but they lack a clear normative-administrative framework that promotes and regulates them. Currently, Mexico is undergoing an important political change that shows a different vision with a social and environmental approach, which allows us to glimpse important changes to promote practices towards environmental sustainability. The objective of this article is to show, through the case of the municipality of San Andrés Cholula, Puebla, the main political, administrative and technical obstacles faced by real estate developers to implement eco-technologies in residential areas, as well as the advances in said matter. The methodology is qualitative based on action research, and the techniques were documentary review, field trips and semi-directed interviews with key actors. Among the main results are the deficient regulations that do not allow the local government to guide itself to implement eco-technologies, and the intention of the new government to advance in this matter despite old vices of "regulation" of environmental action.