CNN
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Mexico City officials have announced a 14-point plan to address the issue of housing and gentlemanship in the capital.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Bulgada said the agency would propose laws that would regulate rental prices and balance the rights and duties of landlords and tenants, and would suggest laws to prevent people from evacuating and regulating short-term rental properties.
Many residents say they are priced from their neighborhoods. This is, on the one hand, due to the influx of people and businesses with greater purchasing power, short-term housing rentals.
Bulgada said Wednesday that “objective and strict methodology” will be resolved to regulate temporary housing rentals to prevent residents from evacuating and to avoid “loss of community roots and identity.”
The city government will also implement rent laws and establish agencies to punish criminals.
Bulgada said living in Mexico City should be a guaranteed right to all residents, not a privilege of a few.
“The issue of gentrification is one of the most important issues in cities today, but it’s not new either. It’s a problem not only for cities but for the world as well, meaning the movement of thousands of families,” the mayor said.
The proposal comes days after residents will have on July 4th on gentrification and increased cost of living in the Mexican capital.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful and reflected a growing rage over urban inequality, but some protesters destroyed stores in wealthy neighbours and used anti-immigrant languages that Mexican President Claudia Sinbaum criticised for being xenophobia.
Frente Antigentrificación MX, one of several groups that helped organize the protest, opposed the characterization of the Sinbaum, saying the demonstrations were intended to highlight a light letter of people priced from home and demand reform from the government.
“We are not opposed to migration because gentlemanship is not a matter of migration. It’s a human right. We are opposed to violence as a model for government,” spokesman Yeshika Morales told CNN last week.
Morales said that the country’s housing costs have skyrocketed to 286% since 2005, but actual wages have fallen by 33%, citing data from the National Institute of Statistics’ Geography and the Federal Mortgage Association.
The mayor of Mexico City on Wednesday called on protesters to engage in dialogue.
“For those who are promoting marching and mobilising, I say for more reasons I will open up necessary discussions with them about this issue,” she said.
Experts say that the gentlemanship of Mexico City has been happening for decades and immigration alone cannot be blamed. However, the arrival of short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and remote work policies during the Covid-19 pandemic turbo has imposed a discussion of gentrification in recent years.
Last week, Airbnb defended its activities in Mexico City, claiming that it helped generate more than $1 billion in the local economy last year, with guests who booked accommodation also spending money on shops and services in the capital.
This issue is not specific to Mexico City. All over Europe, tourist destinations are also protesting gentlemanship, but local governments have announced short-term rental restrictions in several cities.
