El ecobarrio, una alternativa para el mejoramiento urbano de los asentamientos irregulares1/Eco-neighborhoods, an alternative for the improvement of illegal settlements

Eco-neighborhoods appear as an alternative to accomplish the principles of sustainable development in degraded urban areas. In Mexico some projects are beginning to be classified as such, but they remain short-sighted and technocratic in their approach. Our goal is to show that the community of San Juan Tulcingo, Puebla, represents an opportunit y to transform an illegal settlement into an eco-neighborhood, because despite its urban marginality, it presents sustainable features such as social cohesion, agricultural knowledge, and some habits of non-motorized transportation. Our study is based on four methodological elements: literature review, semi-structured interviews, workshops with residents and field observation. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]