UNAM’s Response to Global Challenges: Systemic Innovation with Socio-Environmental Justice and National Identity

The territorial projects developed by UNAM offer a systemic and innovative response to today’s most pressing global challenges: climate change, social inequality, and the loss of natural and cultural heritage. With a multiscalar, transdisciplinary vision, these initiatives integrate scientific knowledge, territorial identity, and environmental justice.

In Xochimilco- Xico, long-term planning for the productive landscape to 2050 addresses climate vulnerability through the strategic relocation of settlements in flood-prone areas, reinforcing the socio-ecological resilience of a living cultural heritage site. In San José del Cabo, Nature-Based Solutions are implemented in a context of over-tourism and hydrological stress, enhancing ecosystem services and upholding the right to a healthy environment.

At Tezcotzingo, a nahuatl territory archaeological research and landscape design revalue the historic pre-Hispanic botanical garden and ceremonial paths, reframing biocultural heritage as a foundation for national identity. In the metropolitan area of Mexico City, unequal access to green spaces is exposed through NDVI analysis, generating design guidelines to address environmental injustice in marginalized areas.

In Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, a demonstration center for ecotechnologies is proposed to restore degraded rainforest, guided by an integrated approach focused on water, soil, and biodiversity. These projects go beyond localized interventions: they construct a framework for sustainable futures grounded in equity, cultural continuity, and knowledge-based innovation. UNAM positions itself as a leading academic institution capable of transforming territory through public research committed to social and environmental justice.