 |
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| Protecting undeveloped
areas will require greater political will to be successful. |
The traditional character
of the town may change with future growth. |
Exploitation of marine
ecosystems involve altering natural systems. |
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The
Critical Role of Public Institutions
The traditional drivers of growth – investments in physical capital, education
and public infrastructure – are critical for continuing economic growth of the
region. However, sustaining growth in La Paz will require much more than that,
in large part because the tourism and real estate sectors rely heavily on the
character, image and environmental amenities of the region. If La Paz is to
enjoy sustained growth, city leaders must ensure that the region’s visual
landscape, recreational opportunities, environmental quality and social
character are not degraded.
It is important to note that this demands a broader scope of activities, more
efficient management, and better governance compared to other regions and
economies of similar size that do not rely as much on public amenities. These
shared resources such as views to the water and mountains, clean air and water,
and social harmony are not as critical to the success of manufacturing-based,
agricultural or export-oriented economies. This places additional
responsibilities in the hands of local leadership. However, unlike most
investments in manufacturing and agriculture, these investments in maintaining
the public amenities that support tourism and real estate also contribute to the
good quality of life for all who live in the La Paz region.
Unlike many tourism destinations, the tourism industry of La Paz is largely
based on access to shared public resources – the character of the city, the
waterfront area and view of the water from the city, the undeveloped stretches
of coastline and beaches in the north, the off-shore islands, the fishing, and
the marine biodiversity.
Private development is essential for economic growth. A key decision for the
future of La Paz is to what degree these public amenities may be modified by
private development. When new development acts to reduce access to traditionally
shared sites, the benefits of the new development are offset by losses in the
existing tourism market, in addition to creating social conflict.
Recognizing the intense competition for tourism within Mexican and with
international destinations, the La Paz region has very few areas and attractions
that would be competitive in traditional tourism markets. In this light,
proceeding with a resort-led or enclave-based tourism strategy would be a
questionable approach. For La Paz, environmentally-based alternative and
cultural tourism are more likely to be successful.
The immediate gains of poorly planned or unplanned development in the La Paz
region may be at odds with sustaining growth for the La Paz region. Properly
addressing these issues means that local leaders must take on a longer time
horizon in planning La Paz’s future, eschewing the short-term thinking that
usually dominates the public policy arena as a result of short political cycles.
These challenges exceed the capacity – and in some cases the authority – of
existing governmental bodies. The way towards a successful future is not only
through the strengthening of government institutions, but also through the
emergence of civic institutions to work in partnership with government, as well
as an increasingly informed and engaged populace.
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| A
well-educated and informed populace is a key factor in effective governance
and policy formulation. |
|
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| Public
services and governance are key aspects in fostering economic growth.
|
Modern
governance systems rely on sharing responsibilities among the public,
private and civic sectors. |
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Policies to Guide the
Future
This study has helped us to identify a few key policies that the La Paz region
should consider enacting immediately.
1. Update Land Use Planning for the City and Region
The existing urban plan for La Paz from 1993 is out of date and much of the
current growth of the city is occurring outside of the legally defined urban
area. A new urban development plan underway for La Paz region should serve as
the basis for channeling future growth, protecting many of the environmental
amenities, and enhancing the economic climate of the city. An updated urban plan
should be nested within and coordinated within a larger regional plan that
protects fragile landscapes and ecosystems, and that considers and incorporates
the growth dynamics of the greater region. For this, the appropriate instrument
in Mexican planning law is the Programa de Ordenamiento Ecologico y Territorial.
This should be applied to the entire municipality of La Paz – an area
considerably larger than the area chosen for this study. Moving up to another
scale, the Programa de Ordenamiento Ecológico del Golfo de California, which is
carried out at a 250,000 scale, may include more detailed windows opening up
into areas of particular interest. This instrument should be used to extend the
planning framework into the marine zone, defining and planning the marine areas
adjacent to the coastline and offshore islands. Although these various plans
cannot address all of the issues facing the region, they constitute an essential
basis for complementary policies.
2. Improve the Water Management and Distribution System
The importance of managing the quantity and quality of water for the residents
and economic sectors of La Paz will only grow over time. The demand for water
will increase while groundwater resources will continue to diminish. This will
also result in increased discharge of effluent, as well as greater saline
intrusion. Improved monitoring of the aquifer will help plan for future
investments in alternative supply options. An equitable and efficient
management, pricing, and distribution system is also indispensable for this
water scarce region. The plans to install meters for all users should be
accelerated. While equity dictates that minimum household consumption should be
less expensive per cubic meter, prices for larger water users should be higher,
and reflect current and future scarcity to anticipate future investments and
avoid unnecessary shocks to future water supply. The pricing of water should
also include adequate resources for treating sewage. Renovating the water
transport infrastructure is an expensive but necessary step that will reduce
water losses and improve the energy efficiency of providing drinking water.
3. Expand Protected Areas
Relatively low population pressure and development pressure has so far limited
land use change in the La Paz region, creating a history of passive protection
for the region’s landscapes. This era has come to an end. In the future,
residents and visitors will only be able to count on undeveloped beaches,
mountainsides and roadside scenery if conscious decisions and concrete actions
have been taken by local and regional leaders to protect these areas.
The region can look to the recent successes in establishing protection for the
gulf islands, the efforts to create a municipal protected area at Balandra, and
the creation of the Sierra La Laguna biosphere reserve. A network of protected
areas will benefit future generations of the region by enhancing the economic
foundation for the region, providing continued access to recreational areas,
protecting key environmental amenities, and by preserving the historical
character of the region. Public and green areas should be promoted, especially
in new development areas.
4. Implement Visual Landscape Protection Policies
The results of this study highlight the importance of the visual landscape for
the region of La Paz. The region would benefit from the immediate implementation
of policies designed to protect the visual quality of the area. The benefits of
such policies can be considerable while the costs are minimal. Scenic roads
should be identified and views from them should be protected. All billboards and
advertising should be eliminated along the malecón, the northern peninsula, and
along the region’s major rural roads. Junkyards, and other elements of
particularly poor visual quality should be moved away from scenic roads. The
placement of major new projects should be subject to visual guidelines. Visual
mitigation projects should be implemented to reduce the damage of existing
structures, including the Cemex plant at Pichilingue, and the Pemex and CFE
facilities at Punta Prieta.
5. Plan for Solid Waste Management
The region needs a comprehensive plan to manage municipal waste, hazardous
waste, hospital waste, construction debris and other special wastes such as fly
ash from the Punta Prieta power plant. A new sanitary landfill will need to be
planned and installed in the very near future. Managing hazardous waste will
require proper processing facilities, an outreach program to instruct businesses
and households on proper handling of hazardous wastes, and a revised legal
framework for improving compliance with minimum handling requirements.
Alternatives for implementing a low-cost recycling program should be studied.
6. Establish Risk Management Policies
The La Paz region is potentially at risk from a variety of natural phenomena and
human activities. La Paz is prone to flooding as a result of hurricanes and has
been affected by earthquakes. The transportation and handling of petroleum
products at the PEMEX facilities and industrial use of ammonia in ice beverage
industries are among the principal risks from human sources. Both public and
private institutions should generate disaster response strategies, which include
accident prevention plans, emergency response systems, and community action
programs.
7. Strengthen Air Quality Management
Maintaining and improving air quality in La Paz is a matter of both public
health and economic competitiveness. Air quality concerns are currently
concentrated on the thermoelectric plant at Punta Prieta.
The agreement signed between the Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE) and the
Federal Environmental Ministry (SEMARNAT) on September 26, 2005 includes the
commitment by plant managers to reduce emissions levels from the plant to levels
that are lower than Mexican emissions standards. This is an excellent example of
the strength of a proactive policy initiated by a coalition of public and
citizen institutions working together.
8. Promote Education and Civic Participation
Enacting effective public policy requires not only the hard work and good
judgment of government leaders but also an active and well-informed public.
Policy formulation and debate will be more productive if accompanied by a
well-designed program for involving civic and private organizations in the
planning and consideration of the different options. To augment the work of the
government, civic institutions have an important role to play in educating the
public on the consequences of different policy approaches.
9. Establish a Preemptive Policy of Infrastructure Investments
When housing settlements are developed without essential infrastructure
(drinking water, sewage systems and electricity) public officials are compelled
to later provide these services. The costs of providing public infrastructure
are much higher when infrastructure is forced to pursue development, rather than
development occurring in areas designated for public infrastructure investments.
A clear policy that anticipates future growth and infrastructure needs can avoid
these unnecessarily expensive investments.
10. Invest in Upgrading and Maintaining Essential Infrastructure
La Paz is not alone in suffering from insufficient financial resources for
maintaining existing public infrastructure. One of the reasons for this is the
temptation to pass on these problems to future administrations, investing
instead in higher profile new public projects. Allowing key infrastructure to
gradually disintegrate is more expensive in the long run. Investing in regular
and timely maintenance is essential.
11. Collect taxes
Providing the public services mentioned here are impossible without a fiscally
healthy government. The financial structure of the municipality depends highly
upon transfers from the state and federal level. However, over the past few
years, the city of La Paz has begun to collect real estate taxes more
effectively. This has improved the financial standing of the local government.
Efforts should be made to continue and strengthen this process, both increasing
tax rates and collection efforts. Not only does this improve the financial
standing of the government, it increases the stake of local property owners in
the success of the government. This is an essential ingredient in better
governance.
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Further Reading and References
Carl Steinitz “A Framework for Landscape Planning Practice and Education,”
Process Architecture 127 (1995): 42–53.
Carl Steinitz et al. Alternative Futures for Changing Landscapes: The San Pedro
River Basin in Arizona and Sonora (Washington DC: Island Press, 2002).
Mario Monteforte y Micheline Cariño, “Perspectivas de la piscicultura marina en
el Golfo de California.”, Biodiversitas, CONABIO, Julio 2005, Num. 61, pp. 1-8.
Micheline Cariño, “Balandra para los sudcalifornianos”, Análisis, Vol. IV, No.
45, septiembre 2004, pp. 5-6.
Micheline Cariño “Importancia del impacto socio-cultural de la Escalera Náutica
en el desarrollo de las comunidades del golfo de California”, Alternativa de BCS,
N. 37, octubre de 2003, pp. 8-9.
Micheline Cariño “Antecedentes históricos y socioeconómicos del aprovechamiento
de la isla Espíritu Santo, golfo de California”, Gaceta Ecológica, INE-SEMARNAT,
N. 67, México 2003, pp. 29-33.
Sandino Gámez Vázquez, “Balandra: el turístico progreso”, Análisis, Volumen V,
No. 54, junio 2005, pp. 20-21.
Meter Patterson, “Paraíso del mar o vendiendo nuestro paraíso”, Análisis,
Volumen V, No. 54, junio 2005, pp. 22-23.
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