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Thesis title: Frameworks for Urban Conservation: Social Equality in Mexican Historic Centres of Mexico City and Guadalajara.
Primary supervisor: Dr Elisabete Cidre
Secondary supervisor: Dr Claudio de Magalhaes
Sponsor: CONACYT-FINBA
Starting date: January 2016
Completion date: September 2021
Continuing development pressure phenomena for historic centres in Latin American cities, Mexican historic centres face significant stress to address housing while in the context of heritage conservation. Most recent policies and strategies for conservation, urban development and housing provision in historic centres have focused on private sector-led investment. However, current frameworks and policies have failed to ensure housing affordability and security of tenure for vulnerable social groups, including those original to the areas. Increased attention on urban image strategies based on aesthetic notions evidence a gap between heritage conservation, urban development and housing provision agendas.
This research follows a two-case study structure of the historic centres of Mexico City and Guadalajara to assess housing tenure and displacement processes in historic centres of Mexico. It identifies key opportunity areas for development within each area through corridors, examined using discourse analysis, place transformation assessment and housing provision evaluation frameworks. Using information found within local planning instruments, census data and interviews with different stakeholders and residents. This research makes an assessment of institutional positioning of place meaning and investment value to mobilise the housing market. Arguing meaning construction and place transformation processes play a key role in delivering processes and outcomes that integrate housing as a tool to reduce social urban inequality in historic places. Informing current gaps in planning for historic centres, promoting both a procedural and outcome-concerned social urban qualitative study. This is relevant not only to Mexican or other Latin American cities, this research will be transferable to cities in a diverse array of international contexts.
- Bio
Monica is a PhD candidate at the Bartlett School of Planning under the supervision of Dr Elisabete Cidre and Dr Claudio De Magalhaes. Her research interest is in urban conservation, place-making, social justice and housing processes. Seeking to contribute to discussions and policy on historic places transformation processes and housing structures provision to promote social justice and the right to housing.
Monica is an active a member of the ‘Socially Just Planning’ UCL Doctoral Network since 2017. With experience in a variety of social and urban development projects as a planner and consultant in the private and public sectors of Mexico. Holding a Degree in Architecture (ITESO) and MSc in Sites and Monuments Conservation (University of Guanajuato).
- Published works and experience
Published works
Sharkey, M., Lopez Franco, M., Mottee L.K. and Scaffidi, F. (2019). Activist Researchers: Four Cases of Affecting Change. plaNext – next generation planning. 8: 10-20. DOI: 10.24306/plnxt/42. Lopez Franco, M. (2018). Landscape and branding: the promotion and production of place. Journal of Urban Design, 23(6), 898-900. DOI: 10.1080/13574809.2018.1518658Lopez Franco, M. (2018). Landscape and branding: the promotion and production of place. Journal of Urban Design, 23(6), 898-900. DOI: 10.1080/13574809.2018.1518658
BSP (2019). ‘’Taking Planning Forward (Fourth Edition): PhD Research Projects at the Bartlett School of Planning 2018/19’’. UCL Bartlett School of Planning
BSP (2018). ‘’Taking Planning Forward (Third Edition): PhD Research Projects at the Bartlett School of Planning 2017/18’’. UCL Bartlett School of Planning
BSP (2017). ‘’Taking Planning Forward (Second Edition): PhD Research Projects at the Bartlett School of Planning 2016/17’’. UCL Bartlett School of Planning - (also Co-editor for this edition)
Conference Presentations:
Lopez Franco, M. (2019) Housing in Mexican Historic Centres. Cases of Mexico City and Guadalajara. Planning Research Conference. Liverpool, UK.
Lopez Franco, M. (2019) Housing in Mexican Historic Centres and the Right to Housing. Cases of Mexico City and Guadalajara. AESOP Annual Congress 2019. Venice, Italy.
Sharkey, M., Lopez Franco, M., Mottee L.K. and Scaffidi, F. (2019). The Role of Activist Researchers: Four Ways to Effect Change. AESOP Annual Congress 2019. Venice, Italy.
Lopez Franco, M. (2019) Housing Planning and Implications in Historic Centres of Mexico. Socially Just Planning Doctoral Network, UCL Bartlett School of Planning. London, UK.
Teaching Experience:
Postgraduate Teaching Assistant for BPLN0042 – Urban Design: Place Making
Bartlett School of Planning, UCL with Dr. Sonia Freire Trigo. January 2019 - present.
Postgraduate Teaching Assistant for BPLN0045 – Planning for Housing
Bartlett School of Planning, UCL with Dr. Sonia Freire Trigo. January 2019 - present.
Postgraduate Teaching Assistant for ENVS1017 - Urban Lab I: Graphic Skills Module I
Bartlett School of Planning, UCL with Dr. Elisabete Cidre. September 2016.
Other:
‘’Making Space for Hope Workshop’’ AESOP PhD Workshop in Tjaro, Sweden. July, 2018.
‘’Marie Jahoda DiverCities Summer School 2016’’ by DiverCities – Governing Urban Diversity (financed by the European Commision). Department of Sociology, University of Vienna. July 2016.