City and regional planning legislation in the Mexican states: Case studies Jalisco and Nuevo Leon

As Mexico enters the twenty-first century, intergovernmental relationships among the three levels of government (federal, state, and local) are slowly but steadily changing, allocating more powers to the local level. A series of political events lead to the belief that the political arena is ripe for a new kind of a state-municipal approach to the planning process for managing growth. This approach involves a new growth management strategy in which municipal and state efforts are coordinated. Within this context, this dissertation provides a framework and empirical evidence to understand the causes behind the structure of laws and policies on growth management systems which have been adopted by the states. In order to explain this framework, an analytic five step strategy was followed in the research: context and background descriptions, problem definition, review of enacted laws, implementation of planning policy, and evaluation and analysis of effects. This "chain of evidence" was used to explicate two case studies in a narrative sequence. Selected case studies included the state governments of Jalisco and Nuevo Leon. These states experienced strong growth pressures but is also and where the second and third largest cities in Mexico are located. The focus of this research is on the processes that have resulted in the implementation of planning at the local levels. Commonalities and differences between the two states became the basis for recommendations for improving the ongoing growth management processes in Mexico.