Green Belt Implementation in Arid Lands through Soil Reconditioning and Landscape Design: The Case of Hermosillo, Mexico

Adriana A. Zuniga-Teran (), Blanca González-Méndez, Christina Scarpitti, Bo Yang, Joaquin Murrieta Saldivar, Irene Pineda, Guadalupe Peñúñuri, Eduardo Hinojosa Robles, Kassandra Soto Irineo, Sergio Müller and Javier Valencia-Sauceda
Additional contact information
Adriana A. Zuniga-Teran: School of Geography, Development & Environment and the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Blanca González-Méndez: CONACYT Northwest Regional Station, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Hermosillo 83000, Mexico
Christina Scarpitti: Urban Planning Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Bo Yang: School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Joaquin Murrieta Saldivar: Borderlands Restoration Network, Patagonia, AZ 85624, USA
Irene Pineda: School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Guadalupe Peñúñuri: RPD Sociedad Creativa, Hermosillo 83010, Mexico
Eduardo Hinojosa Robles: World Resources Institute Mexico, Mexico City 04100, Mexico
Kassandra Soto Irineo: Instituto Municipal de Planeación, Hermosillo 83190, Mexico
Sergio Müller: Caminantes del Desierto, Hermosillo 83000, Mexico
Javier Valencia-Sauceda: Department of Geology, University of Sonora, Hermosillo 83000, Mexico

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-27

Abstract: Green belts are an urban planning approach meant to address urban sprawl and enhance resilience. Many Latin American cities located in arid lands would benefit from the green belt; however, little is known about the factors that determine green belt implementation in these regions. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by examining the case of Hermosillo, Mexico, a rapidly growing city located in a desert environment with an envisioned green belt. A cross-disciplinary team worked with city officials and NGOs to implement a portion of the green belt by identifying suitable soils to locate and design a park within strategic segments of the green belt. However, rapid urbanization and the urgent need for recreational spaces led to the destruction of the landscape. A reflection on lessons learned stress the need for engagement with local communities and real estate developers to integrate social needs and market forces into the planning process for effective green belt implementation. Recommendations include a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, with efforts centered around housing development that provides the needed infrastructure and public space and is fully integrated to the rest of the city. For cities in arid lands, it becomes critical to adopt soft-path approaches for water resources management, assessment of soil conditions, and reconditioning of poor or polluted soils. To maintain the ecological functions of the protected land, efforts must be accompanied by policies that support the vision for the green belt, means to regulate gentrification, and resources allocated for enforcement.

Keywords: green belt; greenbelt; green infrastructure; community engagement; landscape design; soil reconditioning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/12/2130/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/12/2130/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:12:p:2130-:d:984746

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().