This section addresses policy making based on a further understanding of aspirations and anxieties. The proposal to reclaim the open city is based on different elements identified through the three scales and three dimensions of the gatedness analysis framework used to analyse the Mexican gating case. It recognises the power of aspirations, anxieties, fears, and hopes in policy making and the shaping of fragmented urban spaces. The primary considerations for more just and inclusive spaces are organised according to the three spheres of gatedness: structural conditions, cognitive-affective dispositions, and open physical spaces instead of boundaries. The ideas are based on different aspirations and anxieties shaping policies, practices, and physical environments. The policy design is based on simple, non-technical language to be used as inspiration for planning students, policy makers, and public officials in diverse settings, considering the following.

Reinforce institutions to strengthen local capacities

Global forces and national policies are highly influential in local conditions; however, policy implementation, regulation interpretation, and decision making are conducted locally. We have not fully recognised how local decisions are based on individuals and groups, with the agency responding to external pressures to understand the implications. The following subsections outline the main tools, or principles, for better policy making at a local level.

Strengthen municipal finances

Municipalities in Mexico are dealing with rapid urbanisation and fiscal challenges after years of extraction, corruption, and increased demand for infrastructure, security, and public services. Local budgets are insufficient, and tax increases are a political risk. The current model is based on urban development plans with a limited impact that only validates existing projects.