Bogotá and Mexico City Address Urban Inequality Through Public Architecture

Peripheral neighborhoods in Latin American cities have historically lacked access to resources that make urban life more than just habitable. While housing, transport, and public services are typical markers of inequality, another gap is harder to quantify: the absence of spaces for gathering, learning, rest, and collective participation. When such spaces do not exist, the city not only fails to provide a service but also fails to recognize a presence. In recent decades, a growing number of projects have directly addressed this absence. Rather than focusing solely on physical infrastructure, they invest in spaces designed to support education, culture, recreation, and community, often merging multiple functions within a single building in neighborhoods where such spaces are limited.