At PAAKTO, we believe that urban design must respond to the real needs of the people who inhabit and sustain the city on a daily basis.
Our initiative is born as an interdisciplinary response to the climate crisis and social inequality in Cancun, Quintana Roo. We focus on urban heat islands, a phenomenon where paved areas lacking vegetation register significantly higher temperatures than their surroundings, severely affecting public health and well-being.
Our Mission
To visualize urban thermal disparities through rigorous geospatial analysis and facilitate participatory, democratic processes to co-design bioclimatic infrastructure, prioritizing care mobility and gender perspective.
Why the Gender Perspective?
Heat does not affect all of us equally. Traditionally, urban planning has ignored the mobility dynamics of female caretakers, who travel on foot or via public transit while managing the care of children and the elderly under extreme temperatures. In Cancun:
- 32.7% of households are headed by women.
- Areas with the highest density of vulnerable populations alarmingly overlap with the highest temperatures recorded by satellite sensors.
Our Methodological Approach
- Scientific Evidence: We use satellite remote sensing data (Landsat 8) to model and map the most critical heat zones in the city.
- Horizontal Participation: We bring together neighbors, merchants, and decision-makers in collaborative design sessions to forge mutual agreements.
- Bioclimatic Solutions: We co-design infrastructure adapted to the local environment, such as green corridors, shaded public transit stops, and accessible sidewalks.