Transit-oriented development for Mexico City
More than 20 million people live in metropolitan Mexico City, and most spend upwards of three hours a day riding to and from work, stuck in traffic jams. The region has one of the world’s largest urban rail (metro) systems in the world, but most passenger traffic is concentrated on a few lines that serve the city center. Stations farther out are difficult to reach on foot and offer few amenities for commuters or residents. “As an occasional visitor, I was always perplexed by Mexico City,” said P. Christopher Zegras, associate professor of transportation and urban planning in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP). “The city has this exceptional infrastructure and metro, but seemed to take relatively little advantage of it.” In spring 2016, Zegras co-taught a DUSP graduate practicum in which students traveled to Mexico City to study the potential of linking public transport and development. Titled “Transit-Oriented Development in...