THE RESISTANCE AND MEMORY OF THE RETIRO NEIGHBORHOOD: DYMANICS AND CHALLENGES FOR URBAN INTEGRATION UN THE HISTORICAL CENTER OF GUADALAJARA, MEXICO

Abstract

This work is part of a broader research project that aims to analyze the dynamics, challenges, and opportunities facing traditional neighborhoods in Guadalajara, Mexico. The study focuses on the neighborhood known as El Retiro because it shares similarities with other historic settlements in the city, as it is experiencing a process of social and urban crisis and resistance. El Retiro plays a significant role in the historical and morphological configuration of Guadalajara, and it preserves material and symbolic vestiges that characterize it as a livedin space, imbued with identity and collective meaning. This article presents and highlights some social and urban components linked to the current dynamics of the neighborhood, with particular attention to the impacts of new mass transit projects currently under development on its structure, spatial configuration, and community vitality.

The research adopts an urban history methodology that integrates quantitative variables— related to the dynamics and impact of mobility projects and urban intervention processes —with qualitative variables— associated with the symbolic construction of the territory and the prevailing sense of belonging among its inhabitants. The emerging processes and dynamics in El Retiro provide significant elements for formulating new readings and interpretations of
the role of traditional neighborhoods in the contemporary urban context, thus contributing to the discussion on the processes of transformation, resilience, and identity in Guadalajara.