ACAPULCO: Peace, Security and Development ‘Not Without Us’

Abstract

Following the devastating passage of Hurricane Otis in October 2023, the need to rethink the future of Acapulco became imminent. Aware of this challenge, the Mexican Association of Urban Planners, together with other institutions, launched the National and International IDEAS Competition: ‘Acapulco Will Seduce You Again.’ This initiative brought together national and international experts and creatives from various disciplines with the aim of proposing innovative solutions for the urban, social and economic regeneration of the port. The call for proposals received more than a hundred submissions from Mexico and abroad, all focused on building a more resilient, sustainable and inclusive city.

The proposal is based on an urban-social planning scheme that guarantees territorial habitability by being supported by the actors and population sectors, who will be involved in the re-evaluation of socio-urban systems.

Based on the logic of spatial theory and central places, it establishes a multi-centralised structure that facilitates the valuation of local resources and the implementation of socio-cultural development policies, using a replicable, comprehensive and sustainable rhizomatic system, through a system of spatial concentration of new urban centralities derived from the same centre.

The methodology is aimed at the recovery of natural ecosystems by creating spaces for encounter and dialogue to recover public space reorganised into new ‘city centres’. The new urban plan includes the protected extension with ‘buffer zones’ to protect the environment and heritage, green corridors and the involvement of new nature tourism activities.

During the event, the need to not only rebuild but also regenerate Acapulco was emphasised, focusing on a more humane development that prioritises social equity and seeks to eradicate extreme poverty. Through a rigorous selection process, projects that integrate regenerative urbanism, the use of water as a development axis and long-term reconstruction strategies were highlighted.

For further analysis of the relevance of the IDEAS Competition, the remaining descriptive sheets of the 14 finalist IDEAS are included. More than a competition, this contest marked a starting point for the transformation of Acapulco, demonstrating that reconstruction goes beyond infrastructure: it is about recovering the essence of a city and strengthening the social fabric that gives it life.