Merida, Yucatan — The director of urban development has identified four abandoned homes in the historic district that must be torn down before they collapse on their own.
Federico Sauri ordered them partially or totally demolished for the safety of pedestrians.
In both Merida and Progreso, a lenient attitude toward blight can create sidewalk hazards, as past experience indicates.
“What we do is consolidate and protect the works, precisely because of the issue of civil protection,” said the municipal official, who was quoted in La Verdad.
“In some cases, for security reasons the property is entered and the part that is at risk is put in security, so that eventually, once the entire legal issue is fulfilled, we can intervene,” he said. Many properties in the Centro have unclear ownership, but the city is reticent to take over a property until the issue is settled.
Parts of a crumbling property can possibly be saved, said Sauri.
“They are controlled demolitions, which is not necessarily the demolition of the entire property,” he said.
