Sedatu urges to equalize regulations for metropolitan areas

For the Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (Sedatu) a constitutional reform could be the way to specify a coordination and development law that establishes the same normative criteria in the metropolitan areas of the entire country, with which the objectives of planning, development and mobility in the cities would be achieved.

This was stated by Álvaro Lomelí Covarrubias, general coordinator of Metropolitan Development and Mobility of the Sedatuat the “Metropolitan Dialogues: Good Practices and Governance” forum, held in San Pedro Tlaquepaque, Jalisco.

“We believe that the current legal framework is not enough, which is why the call to have a general framework that applies to all areas; important concepts of metropolitan impact are also required to be detailed in the Constitution, differentiating the responsibilities and attributions of municipalities, metropolitan areas and megalopolises”, said the official.

Although there are already regulations applied locally, for the representative of the Sedatu it is necessary to materialize a general law of national application and not isolated initiatives.

“The important thing is that it is not the entities that promote legal frameworks in isolation, but that there is a general law that regulates the issue of urban development and establishes issues that the current General Law of Human Settlements does not provide for, such as attention to climate change. ”, he exhorted before deputies.

On the other hand, Melina Castro Urquiza, director of Urban Development, Land and Housing of the Sedatuconsidered that the objectives of the metropolitan areas should be oriented towards territorial development that prevents the disorderly expansion of population settlements.

“We promote a comprehensive strategy to be a permanent mechanism of co-responsibility between the three levels of government, in addition to increasing planning instruments. Until today, only 25.5% of the municipalities have this tool and it is necessary to strengthen local capacities”, explained Castro Urquiza.

Representatives of state and municipal governments participated in the meeting organized by the Metropolitan Areas Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, as well as organizations from civil society, academia and business chambers.