Transformations in the nodal road axes of Guadalajara, Jalisco (Mexico): a particularist benefit

Abstract

This article critically analyzes the transformation of the main road corridors in the city of Guadalajara during the period spanning from the 1920s to the 1990s, with the aim of determining the extent to which these processes reflect a neoliberal urbanization model and their implications for the city’s urban, social, economic, and patrimonial configuration. A qualitative, historical-interpretative approach is adopted, based on a documentary review of historical and hemerographic sources. The study demonstrates that road interventions were justified through discourses of collective benefit and urban modernization. However, their outcomes primarily favored developers, economic actors, and those responsible for public works. It is concluded that these transformations contributed to the consolidation of an exclusionary urban model. Furthermore, this model generated significant social, environmental, and patrimonial impacts.