Spatial transformations of nearshoring in Mexico and the impacts of a “new” development paradigm

Abstract

Given the vulnerability of supply chains and current trade and geopolitical tensions, nearshoring is on the rise. This paper describes the policies and actions aimed at promoting it in Mexico, paying particular attention to the role of the current administration’s megaprojects in the production of space, assessing their relationship with the real estate market, the overall expansion of built-up areas, and the related socioecological implications, including those derived from lock-in effects and land teleconnections. The paper distinguishes between aspects that constitute a reformist agenda aligned with the traditional notion of development—and thus of growth—and those that seek to create, amid challenges and contradictions, the conditions for transforming current social relations of production, including the human-nature relationship. In our reflection, we do acknowledge that the current and the previous administrations differ markedly from their predecessors and that there are limits to their immediate action. With this in mind, we aim to foster a constructive yet critical and useful analysis, concluding with practical short-term recommendations and calling for a collective process to guide and sustain a shared normative notion of long-term transformational change that actively addresses the most challenging and contested aspects.