Knowledge city

Social Freedoms

Mexico City has a long tradition of respecting political liberties and freedoms. Freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and freedom of association are fully respected by the government. In addition, Mexico City has taken the lead in supporting citizen’s freedoms and rights, including the rights of women, LGBT and other populations. It is argued that more tolerant cities offer far higher human development and more economic freedom to residents, making social freedoms a key component to economic growth and a knowledge city.

Facts and Figures:

• Mexico City has de-penalized abortion, and adopted gender equity laws.
• Mexico City passed Latin America’s first gay marriage law and is among the few cities that have legislated in favor of LGBT adoption of children.
• Mexico City’s government believes that promoting political freedom and social equity contribute to economic growth by enabling citizens to realize their full potential, and make the city more attractive to foreign investment in knowledge-based sectors.

Sustainability

As in any megacity, Mexico City faces a variety of environmental challenges. Urban growth, combined with a rising middle class population, today requires innovative thinking and policies in urban planning, transportation, air pollution, water scarcity and solid waste, among others. Mexico City has adopted a 15-year Green Plan to address these environmental challenges simultaneously.

Mexico City is also providing global leadership to promote sustainability among world cities; a recent global summit of mayors, hosted by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, resulted in more than 300 cities signing The Mexico City Pact, an agreement to address climate change and reduce GHG emissions.

Facts and Figures:

• Mexico City is investing more than $1.5 billion a year (51% of all tax revenue) on improving public transportation systems, including expansion of its Metro subway system (already one of the world’s largest).
• Mexico City is upgrading the current bus system with a program to replace aging private bus and taxi systems with fuel-efficient, less polluting models.
• Mexico City implemented the Ecobici bicycle sharing system where residents can rent bikes from kiosks set up around the city.
• Providing water supplies to Mexico City’s 20 million residents is an enormous challenge, one made difficult by the fact that the city’s elevation is higher than the network of lakes, rivers and canals that must tapped to provide it. Mexico City’s government is educating business and consumers on water conservation efforts, investing in new water treatment facilities and improving water infrastructure to reduce leakage.

Science & Technology

Mexico City is poised to emerge as a major source of scientific and technological development. As a result of the city’s highly trained and educated workforce, world-class universities and research institutes and high-quality facilities, scientific and technological achievements are continuing to be made in Mexico City.

Mexico City’s is devoting additional resources to advancing science and research in the capital, through a legal framework and tax incentives for businesses to invest. Today, Mexico City’s economy is being bolstered by a range of public-private ventures in science and technology that combine excellent know-how with the resources to effectively deliver solutions to society.

Facts and Figures:

• With its presence of strong university systems and multinational corporations, Mexico City is becoming a leading center for global research and technology development. Mexico City generates 55% of the country’s total scientific research.
• Mexico remains one of the very few “investment grade” emerging markets in the world. In a recent study by the Mexican Institute for Competiveness, Mexico City was found to be the most competitive when compared to any of the other 32 Mexican states.
• Every year, Mexico City celebrates Science & Innovation week, a convention that brings together Nobel laureates and leaders and science and technology to contribute ideas to strengthen the development of science, technology, education and sustainability in the metropolis. A project of special interest to Mayor Ebrard, the week is quickly growing to be one of the most important international conventions of its kind.
• A new legal framework in the city allows new forms of public-private partnerships, joint ventures, long-term leases and similar financial schemes. These have allowed the city to attract investment in public-private infrastructure of nearly $6.7 million since the new rules went into effect.

Banking & Financial Services

Mexico City is the center of financial and commercial activity in Mexico and home to Latin America’s second largest stock exchange. With almost 20 million residents and a GDP similar to that of London and Osaka, Mexico City presents a myriad of market opportunities for a several types of businesses, including banks, financial institutions and insurance companies. In addition, Mexico City’s strategic location in the center of Mexico helps banks strengthen their market in Latin America and has been important in contributing to the capital’s increasingly competitive position in the banking and financial sector.

Facts and Figures:

• In 2008, 55% of Mexico’s financial sector GDP was generated in Mexico City.
• With a AAA debt rating, Mexico City’s public finances are healthy and are supporting an engine of economic development and investment.
• Mexico City has learned from previous banking crises and developed a legal framework; capitalization and financial information disclosure regulations that even surpass the Basel III Standard, an international regulatory framework for banks.
• Mexico City is taking steps to reduce its informal economy, or “black market,” (estimated in 2010 to include 30% of the city’s 8 million employed citizens) by promoting liberalized labor policies, creation of small enterprises, and tax incentives.

Information Technologies & Telecommunications

Mexico City is continuing to invest in its telecommunications infrastructure so businesses and individuals have the tools they need to succeed and remain competitive in an interconnected world. Already, Mexico City’s telecommunications network is among the top ten worldwide in terms of capacity, restoration, coverage and presence of services. The investment in telecommunications has allowed businesses efficiently communicate with counterparts across the world, increasing efficiency and speeding-up decision making. To ensure that Mexico City’s workforce of tomorrow is well-versed in the digital technologies that are driving economic growth, Mexico City is helping schools integrate digital technology into the classroom and creating free WiFi centers around the city. 

Facts and Figures:

• Mexico City’s telecommunications infrastructure is among the top 10 worldwide, not only in terms of technology, but in capacity, restoration, coverage and the presence of services. It is a 100% advanced digital fiber optic network that handles restorations without human intervention in 50 milliseconds.
• Mexico City’s internet penetration and usage is ranked second in Latin America. Free WiFi sites are available in more than 1,000 public spaces.
• In Mexico City, growth of 70% in the area of information technology is expected by 2012.
• Mexico City’s telecom industry is among the most advanced in the country, with mobile phone penetration of 61%.

Healthcare

Mexico City is home to an extensive network of public and private hospitals and the National Institutes of Health, which efficiently treats patients, trains health specialists and conducts scientific research. The Mexican capital is also at the vanguard of medical research in Latin America. In 2006, Mexico City research into the rotavirus won recognition after being awarded the Article of the Year prize by The Lancet magazine, selected from among 700,000 articles.  

In addition to investing in the health of its citizens through affordable health clinics and programs that teach preventative care, Mexico City is also investing in its health institutions and many healthcare professionals. Mexico City is emerging as the destination of choice for many Americans looking for affordable and high-quality medical or surgical procedures. To attract biomedical research to Mexico City, the government of Mexico City is currently building Campus Biometropolis. The sprawling campus will offer world-class facilities and research.

Facts and Figures:

• Mexico City has close to 100% medical coverage.
• Mexico City is home to 844 hospitals, as well as the country’s leading medical institutions, medical universities, and health research centers. The Mexico City government runs a network of 28 hospitals which treat 7 million patients a year. Mexico City is home to the country’s 13 National Institutes of Health.
• Mexico City is developing Campus Biometropolis, a new world-class center for biomedical and nanomedical research. Campus Biometropolis is expected to create more than 15,000 jobs and attract national and international pharmaceutical laboratories, hospitals, medical and educational institutions. 
• Mexico City is emerging as a leading destination for medical tourism. The high quality and affordability of medical care and patient services available in Mexico City is attracting visitors from North America and around the world.  Every year, between 250,000 and 300,000 people travel from the United States to Mexico City for medical services.  Medical services in Mexico City are an estimated 40% less costly than the same procedure in the United States.
• Mexico City has become the leader in Latin American transplant procedures. In 2009 in Mexico City, 4,924 transplants were performed.
• The Mexico City government was recognized by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Foundation for taking steps to become a smoke-free city and protect the health of its citizens. All indoor public spaces in Mexico City are now 100% smoke-free, and the Mexico City government has implemented a public education campaign about the harmful effects of smoking. 

Education

Education is the foundation of a knowledge-based economy. A comprehensive education builds the skills, values and knowledge that will drive creativity and innovation in every sector of the economy.

Mexico City is the center of education in Mexico. The best universities and research institutes are based in the capital, including the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), which is ranked among the top 200 universities worldwide and is the largest and most prestigious Spanish-speaking university in the world with more than 250,000 students.  Mexican universities are on the cutting edge of research and responsible for many of the technological achievements that are transforming Mexico City into a prosperous knowledge city.

Higher education, however, must be supported with strong commitemnts for primary education. Under the leadership of Mexico City’s Secretary of Education Mario Delgado, the government is implementing innovative programs such as Prepa Sí and Nin@s Talento to address the achievement gap by rewarding students who stay in school and investing in arts education and athletic teams.

Facts and Figures:

• Mexico City home to 500 public and private universities and academic institutions. It has the highest literacy rate in the country. Half of all Mexicans with advanced degrees reside in Mexico City.
• The prestigious National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has a presence in practically every Mexican state, offices in several cities abroad and shares 465 study plans and curricula with 308 educational institutions worldwide.
• Mexico City is investing in improving educational quality and access in the 10,154 primary and secondary schools in Mexico City, through advocating higher academic standards, enhancing standardized texts, and implementing financial aid programs that enable hundreds of thousands of students from low-income families to stay in school through high school.
• There are more than 2,000 Aulas Digitales (digital classrooms) with broadband computers in public primary schools in Mexico City, helping to bridge the digital divide.

Human Capital

The third largest city in the world in terms of population, Mexico City has more than a large labor force; it has a knowledgeable labor force. Behind Mexico City’s knowledge economy are scientists, educators and innovators responsible for advancing business, healthcare, education and telecommunications.

To transform the capital into a highly competitive marketplace that leads in technology and innovation, the Mexico City government is creating the conditions that will help private companies thrive. Through public-private partnerships and increased funding for research and development, Mexico City is capitalizing on its highly-skilled workforce and supporting knowledge-related activities that drive technological and scientific research.

Facts & Figures:

• Mexico City has a large professional labor force that contributes to the city’s economic dynamism in knowledge-based economic sectors. About 30% of Mexico’s national population resides in the metropolitan Mexico City area. Women make up almost 40% of the workforce, an increase of 6% since 2006.
• Companies in Mexico City produce 80% of R&D activities in Mexico and more than one-third of all patents. Trade and professional services account for more than 70% of Mexico City’s GDP in diverse economic sectors such as education, healthcare, information technologies, financial services, science and technology, and environmental sustainability.
• Mexico City has an international labor force and is home to large communities of expatriate workers from North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America who are attracted to the city by its economic and cultural dynamism. At least 440,000 people in Mexico City speak English.
• Mexico City is home to nearly half of the researchers of the National Researchers System (SNI) and the Institute of Science and Technology of the Federal District (ICyTEF), which oversaw the investment of $34 million in research projects between 2007 and 2009.
• Mexico City is ranked 8th in the global cities index by GDP and first in Latin America.