| My dissertation examines a half-century of conflict over soil, water, and woodlands in and around Mexico City during a period of urbanization and revolution. At the turn of the century, the urban elite privileged exclusionary urban development through a set of policies and hydraulic projects. I argue that while the revolution of 1910 reinforced development as a goal, the social upheaval also provided the opportunity for popular groups, both in the city and country, to demand productive and livable environments. Although post-revolutionary governments often promoted earlier projects and policies, they also sought to create productive and healthy populations harnessed to the state. The tension between the two objectives encouraged a new environmental citizenship whereby popular groups, officials, and developers negotiated and disputed local environments. As urban interests met a pro-business state during the 1940s, however, environments deteriorated and popular groups lost access to resources.;My project refashions understandings of the revolution, urbanization, and Mexico City's environmental challenges. I offer a new understanding of the revolution whereby urbanization and environmental engineering served as lightning rods for revolutionary politics. I understand the urban and rural as a tight web of social, political, technical, and ecological interactions. These intertwined histories offer a unique view as to how Mexico City modernized and how spaces were transformed, either in benefit or to the detriment of communities. Furthermore, my project shows that Mexico City's current environmental problems arose from the revolutionary period, which featured the eventual repression of popular environmental imaginaries and the endurance of exclusionary urban development. |
