Mexico City's Brugada Urges Global Coalition for Affordable Housing at U20 Forum

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada Molina called for a global coalition to guarantee affordable housing during the U20 Conference on Housing, Affordability, and Rights in New York. Speaking before mayors and representatives from over 30 cities, she argued that access to housing is essential for the right to remain in one's community.

Brugada contrasted "commodity cities" driven by speculation with a model of "cities to be lived in," advocating for building without evicting and renewing without displacing. She recalled arriving in New York in 1987 as a social activist for the "No housing, no peace" movement, returning nearly 40 years later as head of government.

“Facing commodity cities, we defend cities to be lived in; facing speculation, we propose community; facing expulsion, we want the right to remain; facing the inaccessible city, the affordable city for workers.”

The mayor outlined Mexico City's strategy based on three pillars: massive social housing construction, real estate market regulation, and community co-management. She cited that nearly half a million people exited housing poverty between 2018 and 2025, though challenges like gentrification persist.

Specific targets include 200,000 housing actions by 2030, zero-interest loans for working families capped at 20% of income, and the acquisition of 250,000 square meters of land for social housing. The plan also incorporates sustainability, with over 16,000 eco-technologies installed.