Choices for La Paz

Traditional and nature-based tourism will compete for public areas.	Most of the region is still inaccessible, limiting growth.	Modern agriculture is destined for niche markets in North America.

The preceding analyses demonstrate how the economic, hydrological, ecological, visual, and recreational impacts of the alternative futures vary greatly.

Perhaps the most compelling result from this study is the latitude that decision-makers have to protect the region’s key economic and environmental assets, even in the presence of high growth. The degree of damage that is possible without the implementation of a set of well-designed public policies is great. This study also illustrates that if growth is directed by a well-coordinated set of policies, there is enough land for La Paz to grow over the next two decades without a major loss of public amenities. This is true even under conditions of rapid economic growth.

However, existing laws governing development in La Paz provide little constraint on the pattern of future development and correspondingly little protection for the ecology of the region, the quality of its visual landscape, or its public recreational opportunities. The effect of these laws is primarily in keeping development out the federal marine zone and away from dangerous locations; they do little to influence the general shape and direction of growth. Correcting this deficient legal and policy framework is one of the major challenges for leaders in the coming years.

Another result that stands out from this analysis is that the sharpest policy trade-offs are not between policies that promote growth and the protection of key public amenities – these policies appear to be complementary – but rather in the designation of key areas for public or private use. Among the areas with potential conflicts between private use and public values, the most notable are the Mogote and the northern peninsula including Balandra. The use of water in the Bay of La Paz is subject to similar use conflicts as private sector aquaculture threatens water quality.

This study underscores the extent to which the construction and upgrading of roads, water supply, and sewage infrastructure influence the pattern of growth, leading either to greater sprawl or to a more compact development pattern. The public resource scenarios that include higher investments in roads, exhibit a pattern of new development spreading across a wider portion of the study area, except where limited by new land use restrictions. The scenarios that assume lower availability of public resources produce land patterns with more development in areas closer to the historic core of the city.

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.

A well-educated and informed populace is a key factor in effective governance and policy formulation.

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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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