New concrete roads in the east of Guadalajara: ¿should cement makers contribute to urban sustainability?

(Mexico to go) – 5 July

Cemex plant in Nicaragua: should cement makers 

engage more  deeply with the urban development

of countries where the make their profits? 

El Informador newspaper reports that Guadalajara’s authorities are about to conclude a program involving the refurbishing of 34 key roads in the east of the city. Totalling an investment of 1,100 million pesos (81.5 million dollars) financed with public debentures, the project should improve traffic on avenues such as Calzada Independencia, Río Nilo, 5 de Febrero y Dr. R. Michel.

Concrete roads are the norm in most advanced economies but have not always been the choice of local administrations in Mexico, where many important roads have long been traced with the cheaper and less durable tar-based blacktop.

Guadalajara’s concrete-based paving program is thus welcome, and should translate into safer roads that will require little maintenance, less lighting, keeping streets cooler and less likely to flooding. According to El Informador, paving works are set to end two months ahead of schedule with savings that will be used to fix roads that had not originally been included for repairs.

Sustainability policy needed

One should celebrate the rather unusual efficiency of the public works agency (known as Secretaría de Servicios Públicos Municipales) in charge of the paving program in Guadalajara. However, next to keeping roads fit for use some funds could have gone towards much needed projects such as improving downtrodden sidewalks (pavements) and planting trees.

The point is spending money in infrastructure for motor vehicles should be accompanied by investment in more friendly environments for people, especially so in an area known by its traffic jams, air pollution, high levels of noise and insecurity, amongst other ailments which are characteristic of Guadalajara’s eastern side.

A policy of sustainability is an area of opportunity that could trigger collaboration between public institutions and the citizenry. It is equally important to call concrete makers to involve more deeply in the urban sustainability of countries where they generate large portions of their incomes.

Mexico, which population concentrates in urban areas, is one of the world’s largest producers of cement (the key constituent of concrete). Major cement makers such as Cemex, Holcim Apasco, Cementos Cruz Azul, Cementos Moctezuma, Grupo Cementos Chihuahua and LaFarge Cementos have plants all over the country.

As an example, Cemex, the world’s third largest cement maker, generated in Mexico 22% of its more than $15 billion dollars of revenue in 2011. As a matter of fact, Cemex’s sales of concrete in Mexico exceeded those made in countries like the US and France (See page 48 of Cemex’s 2011 annual report).