Housing access and governance: The influence and evolution of housing organizations in Mexico City

Through the analysis of personal interviews, resident surveys, government documents, newspaper and community accounts, among other relevant data, this paper studies housing movements and organizations in Mexico City, and exemplifies the reach that social mobilizing and organizing may have on cities and their political structures. In this context, mobilizations around detrimental housing conditions provided more than support to low-income tenants and affordable housing production; they contributed to the democratization of the local government. This in turn helped, with the election of a sympathetic government, to consolidate housing programs, norms, and institutions. Thus, and despite limited resources, new local housing strategies set notable standards at the national level. More recently, however, grassroots organizing efforts and community involvement in processes of affordable housing production have lost standing. Furthermore, housing organizations and leaders have become increasingly susceptible to political processes and electoral cycles. As civic groups have ceased to effectively monitor government actions, housing policies and efforts have lost legitimacy among the citizenry and housing unaffordability has remained a significant issue. Yet, although some housing organizations have lost autonomy, they have not necessarily lost their ability to influence local politics and policy. The evolution of these organizations, therefore, provides notable lessons to those that seek to institutionalize their demands and strengthen their ability to shape the growth and development of their cities and regions.