Mexico City representative: Housing should be treated as a human right, not a commodity

Housing should be treated as a human right rather than a commodity, and states must take a more active role in regulating urban development and expanding affordable housing, a representative of Mexico City said during a panel session within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum 13.

According to Report, he noted that, from Mexico City's perspective - one of the world's largest cities with a population of 9.2 million within administrative boundaries and around 23 million in the metropolitan area - accelerating social inclusion, gender equality, and poverty reduction through housing policy requires a fundamentally new approach.

"Within public policy, housing should not be considered a commodity. It should be recognized as a human right and one of the key pillars of social justice, urban democracy, and shared prosperity," he said.

The representative stressed that such approaches are in line with the positions of United Nations Human Settlements Programme, noting that when land and housing are fully subjected to market logic, displacement of local communities, spatial segregation, and barriers to decent living for millions of people are exacerbated.