Since the pandemic, urban issues have become more pressing than ever for many people in Latin America. COVID-19 triggered a turbulent shift in the real estate market, driven both by speculation in second-home markets and the influx of “digital nomads” in cities like Medellín, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City.

An increasing number of disciplines are engaging with the right to housing. Whether in the realms of architecture, law, economics, urban planning, geography, or political science, diverse voices have sought to identify the obstacles to its fulfillment, especially within increasingly hostile urban environments. Yet, while we all talk about the right to housing, we are not speaking of the same thing.

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Valladolid is a town of just under 50,000 inhabitants, located in eastern Yucatán. It sits halfway between Cancún and Mérida, about 40 minutes from the Chichén-Itzá archaeological zone. Initially, the tourists who visited did so as a stopover during their travels across the peninsula. However, its gastronomy and architecture transformed it from an involuntary rest stop into a tourist destination in its own right.

One of the greatest challenges facing our cities today is reconciling two priority objectives that, at times, seem irreconcilable: reducing inequality and addressing the effects of climate change. On one hand, our planet is at a critical juncture where no action should be underestimated. Urban growth always comes at the expense of green spaces, which is why we must control our settlements. Yet, it is also a fact that certain environmental regulations, besides being ineffective at achieving their intended goals, have discriminatory effects on the most marginalized sectors. It is often these very groups that face the most rigorous enforcement of environmental administrative requirements, as well as penalties for non-compliance. Is there a way out of this apparent dichotomy?

Contrary to popular belief, it is impossible to separate law and urban planning. Both disciplines have served as instruments to establish the rampant inequalities we live in—one through the administration of state force, the other through the accumulation of territorial power. Yet both also hold the keys to creating more equitable cities. The only way to build a true right to the city is through interdisciplinary dialogue, particularly now that a reform proposal seeks to recognize this right in the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States. This article aims to open a space for dialogue among those of us working in law, architecture, and urban planning.

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On June 17, Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) issued a landmark ruling ordering the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) to generate disaggregated statistical data on populations in informal or precarious settlements across the country. This resolution brings to the forefront the discussion on the role that judges can and should play when making decisions that directly impact urban planning, land management, our cities, and our housing.