The Mexico City government defended its agenda against gentrification and real estate speculation at the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum on Sunday, despite growing complaints from residents of the Mexican capital about rising rents, displacement, and accelerated evictions in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada and officials from her administration attended the global meeting, held in Azerbaijan, where Mexico was awarded the honor of hosting the forum in 2028.
During a panel on urban development, the city’s Housing Secretary, Inti Muñoz Santini, stated that “there is no such thing as good gentrification” and promoted policies for rent regulation, affordable housing, and strengthening public land.
“We must combat gentrification; there is no such thing as good gentrification in small quantities. This is something we must include in a new paradigm for urban development,” he asserted.
Muñoz stated that housing “can no longer be understood as a commodity” and accused the financialization of real estate of having displaced “entire communities” from their lands.
She added that the city is planning 200,000 housing initiatives by 2030 and the reconstruction of 22,000 homes damaged by the 2017 earthquakes.
In her remarks, Brugada linked the urban agenda to inequality, gender, and the right to the city, and called for building “a great alliance of cities for peace and international law.”
“The right to the city is also the right not to be evicted,” she asserted.
These statements come amid growing social discontent over evictions and displacements in the Mexican capital, phenomena that collectives and organizations have linked to accelerated gentrification processes leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In recent months, residents evicted from the Historic Center, along with business owners and activists, have held protests and blockades to denounce forced evictions and real estate speculation, while neighborhoods like Roma and Condesa face increasing tensions due to rising rents and the displacement of residents.
According to figures cited by the protesters, between July In October 2025, approximately 2,600 reports of land dispossession were registered in the city, compared to 3,300 reports in all of 2019.
Mexico City will host the opening match of the World Cup, between Mexico and South Africa, on June 11.
Source: holanews
