XVI. Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City — Will Kirsch
Mexico City is the capital of The United States of Mexico, the largest city in North America, and the largest spanish speaking city in the world. It is comprised of 16 boroughs headed by a mayor. Benito Juarez, Cuauhtemoc, Miguel Hugo, and Venustiano Carranza boroughs reside in the cities center.
Population:
Urban: 9,209,944 people
Metro: 21,804,515 people
Area:
Urban: 1,485 KM2
Metro: 2,772 KM2
Population Density:
Urban Average: 6,201 people/km2
Metro Average: 2,772 people/km2
Politics:
Mexico City most notably ceased being a Federal District in 2016, and was awarded the status of Cuidad de Mexico, granting more power as a federal entity alongside the 31 Mexican States. It sits in a relatively central location nationally, and is headed by a title that loosely translates into “mayor,” though in reality has power comparable to the governor of a state. While they manage several municipal responsabilities, their primairy concern in the city is health and education.
Clockwise from top left: Centro Urbano Presidente Miguel Aleman, mountains on the mexico city skyline, informal settlements in Xochimilco, and flooded house after long rain
Mexico City, Mexico. High Density Buildig Typologies
Mexico City, Mexico. Means of teansportation.
Mexico City, Mexico. Traffic hubs and nodes.
Mexico City, Mexico. Urban void spaces.
Mexico City, Mexico: San Rafael, Cuautemoc
Area: 32.4 square km
Population: 545,684 people
Population Density: 16,649 people/km2
Mexico City, Mexico: Miguel Hidalgo, Cuautemoc
Area: 32.4 square km
Population: 545,684 people
Population Density: 16,649 people/km2
Mexico City, Mexico: El Capulin, Tlalpan
Area: 310.8 square km
Population: 650,567 people
Population Density: 2,084 people/km2
Vertical Voxel Village, Tlalpan
The Mexico City Voxel Village is a high-density mixed-use building with housing as the primary program. Inspiration for the midrise building came from “opportunity spikes” commonly found on buildings in Mexico City. Many working-class families will elect to have their home built for them and choose to leave exposed rebar on their roof in the hope of tying an additional floor in when they make enough money. Similarly, the Voxel village is designed to accommodate this desire for expansion.
While most voxels are occupied with traditional housing units sitting on a commercial and office space podium, there is at least one empty plinth on each floor. This allows residents to adapt to changing needs of the community. Some may choose to use it as a park; others may grow fruits and vegetables. It could accommodate a chicken coop or even an addition to a neighboring unit. The tower was designed in the Tlalpan district south of the city in a low-rise, low-density community with many informal settlements. Rendering each unit as individual voxels respects the fine-grain diversity of the local context and afford each resident a unique apartment. The building can accommodate 37,000 per square kilometer if a single resident occupies each unit, posing incredibly density when occupied by two or more people.
Vertical Voxel Village, Tlalpan
— AQQ