Evaluation of water use impacts caused by real estate development with gentrification traits in the metropolitan area of San Luis Potosí

Abstract

Water resource management is a technical, social, and political issue worldwide. Water, being a public good, is characterized as follows: “Unlike private goods, public goods are indivisible and cannot be satisfactorily met by the market or other private initiatives. The provision of public goods requires cooperation or coercion, either through collective action or effective government.” In this sense, water is a human right, as stated by the UN in its sixth sustainable development goal, which aims to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Gradually, housing in the city of San Luis Potosí has shifted from being affordable for the entire population to becoming increasingly unattainable. Due to the growing demand for housing driven by common population growth and urban development, in recent years, vertical construction-both residential and commercial-has been implemented as a potential solution to this phenomenon, now accounting for 10% of constructions in this area in the capital city, according to the Registro Único de la Vivienda as of 2023. However, such constructions have brought new challenges to urbanization in San Luis Potosí city. As noted by Lozano Niño Y., areas, where high-socioeconomic-status apartment buildings with gentrification features proliferate, were not planned to support high population densities. Eventually, one of the possible consequences of high densification in these areas will be the inadequacy of basic services such as water. While vertical housing offers an alternative to maximize land use within the urban sprawl and could address housing demands, there is also a need to improve public services and urban infrastructure in the surrounding areas where these constructions are planned to prevent social inequality in terms of public service distribution. This study aims to analyze the relationship between case studies—buildings with gentrification features-and their impact on the use and distribution of potable water among the inhabitants of the urban sprawl of San Luis Potosí, by using geospatial methods and technologies.