Gentrification Moves to the Global South: an Analysis of the Programa De Rescate, a Neoliberal Urban Policy in México City's Centro Histórico

University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2008 GENTRIFICATION MOVES TO THE GLOBAL SOUTH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAMA DE RESCATE, A NEOLIBERAL URBAN POLICY IN MÉXICO CITY'S CENTRO HISTÓRICO David M. Walker University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Walker, David M., "GENTRIFICATION MOVES TO THE GLOBAL SOUTH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAMA DE RESCATE, A NEOLIBERAL URBAN POLICY IN MÉXICO CITY'S CENTRO HISTÓRICO" (2008). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 654. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/654 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION David M. Walker The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2008 GENTRIFICATION MOVES TO THE GLOBAL SOUTH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAMA DE RESCATE, A NEOLIBERAL URBAN POLICY IN MÉXICO CITY’S CENTRO HISTÓRICO ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By David M. Walker Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Richard Schein, Department of Geography Lexington, Kentucky 2008 Copyright © David M. Walker 2008 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION GENTRIFICATION MOVES TO THE GLOBAL SOUTH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAMA DE RESCATE, A NEOLIBERAL URBAN POLICY IN MÉXICO CITY’S CENTRO HISTÓRICO This dissertation argues that urban neoliberal programs currently formulating in the Global South are unprecedented in historical México as well as in examined practices of gentrification and globalization. In this dissertation I specifically focus on the Programa de Rescate – an urban policy being amassed in México City’s Centro Histórico as a nexus of processes of gentrification, neoliberalization, and globalization. This work re-theorizes how gentrification functions when it is implemented in the Global South – as the neoliberalization of space. KEYWORDS: Neoliberalism, Gentrification, Resistance, México, Global South David M. Walker 8/1/2008 GENTRIFICATION MOVES TO THE GLOBAL SOUTH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAMA DE RESCATE, A NEOLIBERAL URBAN POLICY IN MÉXICO CITY’S CENTRO HISTÓRICO By David M. Walker Dr. Richard Schein Director of Dissertation Dr. Richard Schein Director of Graduate Studies 8/1/2008 RULES FOR THE USE OF DISSERTATIONS Unpublished dissertations submitted for the Doctor s degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgements. Extensive copying or publication of the dissertation in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. A library that borrows this dissertation for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user. Name Date DISSERTATION David M. Walker The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2008 GENTRIFICATION MOVES TO THE GLOBAL SOUTH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAMA DE RESCATE, A NEOLIBERAL URBAN POLICY IN MÉXICO CITY’S CENTRO HISTÓRICO DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By David M. Walker Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Richard Schein, Department of Geography Lexington, Kentucky 2008 Copyright © David M. Walker 2008 This document is dedicated to todos los Mexicanos living on both sides of la línea. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Earning a Ph.D. and writing a dissertation is an enormous feat by any account. I personally feel indebted to many folks who have helped me through this long, arduous, intellectual journey. First, I want to thank Margath A. Walker. Without her stubborn insistence the Geography Department at the University of Kentucky would never have been so foolish as to give me a shot at the Ph.D. I want to thank my cohort at Kentucky for their support. We all learned together those first two years. I also want to express my appreciation to Dr. Susan M. Roberts and Dr. John Paul Jones III who included me as a research assistant to study NGOs in Oaxaca. I thank my committee members and, specially, my supervisor Rich Schein. He read, re-read, fixed things when they were broke, and kept my spirits up. Rich has truly marked my life in a positive way. I want to thank Abigail Foulds for her help with the Graduate School. A huge thank you to Dr. JB Krygier for assistance with the maps. I owe a huge debt to Javier Puerto, without whose help I would never have managed formatting this dissertation. Without the City of México and all of the peoples that live there who talked to me about what goes on in the Centro Histórico I would not have any dissertation at all, so, a mega-gracias goes out to all of the ambulantes, Santa Muerte worshipers, chimichangeros, lawyers, academics bar tenders... Damn, a big hug and super thank you’s to my mom and dad. iii And finally I want to thank from the bottom of my heart and soul Stephanie Ann Blessing for so many things. In relation to this dissertation I must thank here for her editing, re-editing, computer technical help, keeping me calm and on track to finish the dissertation and defend it, and most of all for helping create a space where all of these endeavors could take place and unfold. Thank you Stephanie. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. iii List of files ............................................................................................................................. vii List of tables ......................................................................................................................... viii List of figures ......................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1. A serendipitous field excursion .................................................................................. 1 1.2 México D.F.: a Site of Global Processes and Neoliberal Gentrification ................... 3 1.3 Chapter Outline ........................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2: WORKING THROUGH THE METANARRATIVES: MOBILIZING THEORIES TO UNDERSTAND GENTRIFICATION AS THE NEOLIBERALIZATION OF SPACE ...................... 15 2.1. Theorizing Globalization ........................................................................................... 16 2.2 Theorizing Neoliberalism/Neoliberalization .......................................................... 27 2.3 Theorizing Gentrification .......................................................................................... 32 2.4 The Centro Histórico: a Nexus of Globalization, Neoliberalization and Gentrification..................................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH SITES AND METHODS .................................................................... 40 3.1 Research Questions and Focal Points of the Programa de Rescate ....................... 43 3.2 The Geographies of the Programa de Rescate (See Figure 3) ................................ 45 3.3 Research Methods ...................................................................................................... 47 3.3.1 Archives ................................................................................................................. 48 3.3.2 Participant Observation ...................................................................................... 49 3.3.3 Interviews ............................................................................................................. 52 3.4 Sources of Information ............................................................................................... 54 3.5 Illustrated Adventures of My Own Position ............................................................. 67 3.6 Reflections on My Positionality ................................................................................. 72 CHAPTER 4: CONTEMPORARY MÉXICO CITY: HISTORICAL PATHS LEADING TO NEOLIBERALISM AND THE RISE OF AMBULANTAJE ........................................................... 78 4.1 From Colonialism to Urban Primacy to Decay......................................................... 79 4.2 From I.S.I. to Neoliberalism: How Global and Regional Actors impellent Neoliberal economic Practices ........................................................................................ 86 4.3 Loss of Hegemonic Control: The decay of the PRI and the Decentralization of the State .................................................................................................................................... 95 4.4 The Rise of the Informal Sector and Ambulantaje in México City in Tandem with the Neoliberal

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