Cancún Proposes Mandatory Green Spaces for New Developments

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The city’s rapid urban growth could soon come with new environmental obligations for developers, as the Benito Juárez Ecology Department works on reforms to the Construction Regulations that would strengthen requirements for green spaces in new projects.

Ecology Director Fernando Haro Salinas said the proposal is still under review and the exact percentage of green area that buildings must include has not been set. However, he said the goal is to require more trees in housing subdivisions, shopping centers, and parking lots.

The initiative aims to make the city’s growth compatible with environmental protection by establishing guidelines that promote green infrastructure and help mitigate the effects of urban development, such as rising temperatures and loss of vegetation cover.

The Municipal Urban Arborization Committee, made up of specialists and civil society representatives, is participating in drafting the modifications. The committee is working on a proposal that includes not only tree planting but also maintenance and conservation to ensure the trees survive.

Haro Salinas cited the Arboriza Cancún program as a precedent. Through that program, the municipality has planted more than 3,000 trees across the city. According to the Ecology Department, follow-up care and watering have achieved a survival rate close to 95 percent, providing a foundation for a more permanent reforestation policy.