Riding the Cablebús Over Mexico City

A New Gondola System Has Been a Game-Changer for Marginalized Neighborhoods. Will Tourism Ruin It?

| Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

I’ve lived in Iztapalapa—Mexico City’s most populous borough, with over 1.8 million inhabitants—for the last 26 years. The borough is considered part of the “periphery” of Mexico City, areas of the metropolis that are both politically and economically marginalized. It has a hilly, dense urban landscape that isn’t one of skyscrapers, but of unfinished, self-built homes. Most are gray, the color of the blocks they are made of; others have painted facades that are showing their wear. Inside, taps go months or years without running water, meaning that …

by Natalia Escobar | July 11, 2024

For Crenshaw, By Crenshaw

At “How Do You Grow a Rose From Concrete?,” Destination Crenshaw Leaders Shared Their Vision for Community Permanence in South L.A.

by Talib Jabbar | May 10, 2024

“We are the hub of a community,” asserted Crenshaw High School principal Donald Moorer, who opened Thursday’s Zócalo event. It was the first in a series partnering with …

A Black Neighborhood, Upended by a Highway, Looks to Reconnect

Communities of Color in St. Paul, and Across the Country, Are Making Efforts to Remember and Rebuild

by Ryan Reft | December 4, 2023

How do you remember—and reconnect—a neighborhood destroyed by highway construction over a half-century ago?

Since 1983, this has been the mission of Saint Paul, Minnesota’s annual Rondo Days festival. “[You see] …

Interstate 10 Is More Than a Road

Its Recent Closure Reminds Us of How We Need to Rethink Our Transportation, and Ourselves

by Wellington Reiter | December 4, 2023

Funny thing about the world we have created and the structures we build—they are only really seen for what they are when in states of abandonment. Our built environment reveals …

Is San Jose Destined to Be a Train Wreck for California Transportation?

The Bay Area City Could Be the State’s Rail Capital. But Plans Are Veering Off Track

by Joe Mathews | June 21, 2022

Can Californians find their way to San Jose?

That spin on the old song, made famous by Dionne Warwick, might be the most important question facing the state’s transportation system. Because …

How Latin America Built L.A.

Excavating the Century of Economic Domination Beneath the 2022 Summit of the Americas

by Jessica Kim | June 6, 2022

Los Angeles is just the second U.S. city to host the Summit of the Americas, which brings together political leaders, civil society organizations, and business executives from North, South, and …

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