The idea is bound to generate plenty of opposition and controversy, given that an estimated half a million people in the Guadalajara metropolitan area reside in gated, or closed, communities.
According to Valencia, gated communities take up 78 square kilometers of a city that covers 680 square kilometers. A key part of the proposal, he said, is that gated communities should not “block” the free flow of traffic.
Valencia also wants developers to honor regulations that say a certain proportion of land used for cotos should be “donated” to municipal governments for public recreation.