What Cancún’s Tourists Don’t See Is a Sprawling Concrete Jungle

According to recent research by Christine McCoy, an academic at the University of the Caribbean, most people in Cancn live without the minimum green areas or public spaces needed for proper recreation, leisure, rest, or socializing..

For the wealthy, jungle is being removed to build luxury complexes adorned with grass; in the south of the city, new developments come complete with gardens, and residents enjoy 9.3 square meters of green space per person, very close to what the World Health Organization marks as optimal..

Two years after its construction, the Parque de los Gemelos is still in excellent condition and is one of the most used in Cancun.Ricardo Green spaces and public parks also help to improve the perception of security and, when they are in good condition, to inhibit crime, says Zury Rodrguez Trinidad, director of Crime Prevention of the Secretariat of Security of Cancn..

In the first half of the year, Cancn registered 21 neighborhoods with a high or very high incidence of crime, 19 of which are located in the northern zone where green spaces or public parks are scarce, and where overdensification and overcrowding is an issue...

Believe it or not it used to be worse; before there were much more assaults or bodies left lying around, but since its been lit up, nothing like that has happened here, says city resident Miguel vila, referring to efforts made by Mexicos Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Development to try to fix Cancns public space problem..

You might be interested in