Today, San Manuel is an example of tactical urbanism, the people thought, because the infantry in this neighborhood rule and have priority; Through the Anda Puebla project, the municipal government headed by Eduardo Rivera Pérez is moving towards restoring public spaces for the benefit of citizens on foot.
It was a socio-artistic intervention at the intersections of Avenida Circunvalación with 14th and 18th Sur and Boulevard Valsequillo in which the pedestrian space was expanded by means of “ears”, as well as drawing of intersections, traffic arrows and shelter areas, explained May Hernandez, Operational Director of Comex for Action Good in Mexico.
Ruby Vásquez Cruz, Undersecretary for Mobility, and Guillermo Milano, CEO of Colectivo Tomate, explained that this has allowed the creation of an environment of security and active mobility where the urban landscape itself shelters people on foot, by giving them a more comfortable zone for them. Travel and shorten the travel distances in which they are exposed to motorized traffic.
According to Daniel Tapia, director of the Municipal Planning Institute, this rearrangement of public spaces will directly benefit more than 2,600 people and indirectly another 6,300 commuting daily through the three intersections. Likewise, he noted that thanks to the local Comex Concessionaire, represented by Luis Vásquez, they were able to restore 874 square meters of streets and walls – where five murals were also made – using 582 liters of paint.
The “ANDA Puebla” project was promoted by the municipal government, in collaboration with Comex for Mexico Well Done, Tomato Collective and German Cooperation for Sustainable Development (GIZ) GmbH; Together they developed a diagnostic study of mobility around the interactions in the region, allowing these interventions to emerge and test as an empirical response to road safety needs, from a citizen’s perspective, that could be reproduced elsewhere, as has happened in cities such as Mérida, Leon, Tuxtla Gutierrez and Los Cabos, he explained. Gerardo Gonzalez, GIZ Consultant.
Other recreational activities were carried out with members of the community, such as Jorge Daniel Flores, professor, architect and resident of San Manuel, to encourage the reallocation of public spaces in ways other than everyday life; Human city lotteries, wandering mapping, pyramid shows and navigation were some of the exercises that made this initiative an opportunity to meet and network.
