I t is

Sponsored section Tackling the problems of air pollution

Around the service and technology sectors
rather tan the old heavy industries.
But getting to where it is today has not been
and¿easy ride for México City. It has sufferd
terrible natural disasters. At least 20,000 of its
citixens died as a result of the devastating
earthquakes of 1985, after which the badly
affected downtown área became half- derelict
as people and businesses migrated to
suburban areas with lower seismic risk.
requerid some drastic solutions. Previously
the city was home to muche heavy industry
but it was decided to close down or relocate
all auto-asembly plants cement factories, the
countrylarges refinery, cellulose producers
Steel mills and other heavily polluting
industries. “it severely affected the city
economy” says mayor Encinas, “but is was
necessary solutions if were to succeed in
reducing atmospheric pollution as far as
possinble.

It has also had to deal with massive ground Now we only have problems with ozune
subsidence, as entire areas of the historic levels, “but back then the presence of sulphur
center built over what was once a lake are and lead was very high”
sinking by up to 8 centimeters. Howeovwe,
Vehicle emissions verification programs, and
according to Ana Lilia Cedepa De León, the
improving traffic movement throungh the city
Director of the Fideicomiso Del Centro
´s crowded streets. Both public and build up
histórico De México City has eleverly
models of how best to ease traffic
engineered ways to preserve monuments and
chokepoints.
buildings from perishing. “México has great
enginers because we have a history of A key element was building the second deck
experience. of the elevate periphery highway that crosses
some of the city most
In fact, engineer Enrique Santoyo won the
contest to simbolize the Tower of Pisawith
the same method developed in México to
stabilize the Cathedral.”the catedral
Metropolitana is the largest catedral in all the
Americas.
Up to the challenge
Not all of the superlatives associated with
México city have been positive: megan-cities
suffer mega-problems, and at various points
over the past 20 years it has been single out
as having the worst atmospheric pollution and
some of the highest crime rates of any city in
the world.

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