The Project

Rethinking Social Housing in Mexico

RESHIM is a multifaceted project focused on two central research components: 1) case study research in seven metropolitan areas across Mexico and 2) planning guidelines for redensification and sustainable urban development. In partnership with INFONAVIT, the RESHIM project has coordinated three Urban Planning and Design Option Studios at the GSD, with work in Celaya, Tlalnepantla, Oaxaca, and Mérida. Together with Harvard GSD Executive Education, the RESHIM project has also collaborated on Capacity Building training for executives and partners working on federal housing and urban development policy in Mexico.

Overall, the project addresses the following questions:

  • What are strategies for better coordinating different levels of government to produce and renovate social housing in urban Mexico?
  • What kinds of regulatory and technical tools, or other urban planning and design interventions, can be used to improve practice and successfully implement the new national housing policy?
  • What levels of government would have to embrace them and how can they be mobilized?
  • What are the challenges in coordinating the new national housing and urban policies with state and local government actions critical to the success of the national policies?