Due to its historical value, baroque monuments and colonial appeal, downtown Querétaro was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. However, it is a shame that its inhabitants cannot walk and fully enjoy the narrow and attractive streets, without running the risk of being hit by a car or a passenger bus.

During the second half of the 20th century, demographic growth and the proliferation of the automobile transformed Querétaro. The city began to grow
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Querétaro Reborn seeks to improve the growth and urban organization of the city, providing a framework for establishing, coordinating and implementing public policies, strategies, programs and activities that promote greater economic, urban and environmental sustainability in the city center.

The project has a ten-year vision (2020-2030), divided into implementation phases for different government administrations.
Querétaro Reborn proposes to create important changes in downtown Querétaro by drastically minimizing spaces dedicated to motorized transport, increasing pedestrian space and condensing the city back to its center. This will give priority to pedestrians over cars, promote walking and cycling as a form of transport, reduce traffic crowding and make the city center more passable to offer citizens a socially inclusive, healthy and safe lifestyle. In addition, this project will attempt to incorporate the Querétaro Center into the C40 Declaration for Fossil Fuel-Free Streets, which advocates “for a future in which most people will move around our cities walking, cycling and using forms of shared transport” (C40, 2020).

Querétaro Reborn seen by Manuel Barreiro

THE AUTHOR

Manuel Barreiro Castañeda is the founder and president of Aston Group, a private equity fund that currently has 1 trillion investments, developing Real Estate and Private Equity projects with a focus on North America and Europe. Barreiro Castañeda is a strategic leader with more than 20 years of experience in the international real estate market, as well as a long and successful career dedicated to consulting for key players working in the areas of technology, sustainability, mobility and smart cities, to name a few.

With a deep social and sustainable commitment, Manuel has been able to take advantage of his experience and his trajectory to ensure that all his real estate projects have the primary purpose of benefiting local communities to improve their quality of life, reduce inequality gaps and have a positive impact on the environment, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Passionate about motivating young generations through entrepreneurship, he has supported and mentored several emerging technology entrepreneurs, whom he has helped transform their ideas into innovative companies that can make a big difference in their environments.

In addition to his extensive experience in the industry, Manuel completed the Oxford Real Estate Programme at the University of Oxford in England. He also has an Executive Master of Science (MSc) in Cities from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE), where he had the opportunity to develop his knowledge in sustainable urban development, mobility and water management to improve the quality of life in large cities and small urban areas. This degree also helped to awaken his interest in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), which are undoubtedly the most important approaches to future projects.

Manuel has an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business and a degree in International Business from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, where he also participated in international programs in countries such as Japan and Argentina. During his stay in Japan, he realized the importance of using technology to benefit vulnerable groups and decided to dedicate his life mission to creating better cities for the future, starting with his own country, Mexico.

Manuel dedicates a large part of his time to raising awareness about mobility issues through conferences at international events, he also shows a genuine interest in planting trees in his hometown, Querétaro and greatly enjoys taking photographs of all of his beautiful Mexico. He also dedicates a large part of his efforts to presiding over his non-profit organization, The Aston Barreiro-Ugalde Foundation, which aims to support the education of low-income boys and girls.