Cuauhtemoc Pedestrian Street, Zihuatanejo
Over the course of the last several months, Zihuatanejo’s downtown center has been undergoing a very noticeable face-lift. Previously, major centro streets had already been repaved and services moved underground, but in addition, we now see many of the sidewalks converted into covered arcades with attractive columns – made of wood, cement or brick – supporting red-tiled overhangs, providing pedestrians both sun-shade during the winter season and rain shelter during the rainy season. Standardized signage is being applied to give Zihuatanejo’s downtown area a coherent look. Zihuatanejo’s center is acquiring a somewhat quaint appearance that now invites idle wandering and street strolls where before one often would only take to the sidewalks out of necessity, or walk gingerly for fear of being laid low by turning an ankle in an unexpected hole or tripping over a badly-placed guy-wire.
During this period of recent renovation the wonderful Statues of the Women of Guerrero were repositioned around town. The effect of the revamping of the center became particularly noticeable around Christmas 2009, when the city and downtown businesses cooperated in festooning these walkways with a fairyland of cascading white Christmas lights that made Zihuatanejo residents and visitors alike marvel at its added attractiveness.
Arcades in Zihuatanejo
As the renovation process continues it is interesting to see in a recent press release that the city of Zihuatanejo, with the support of the federal and state government funds, will this year channel some 60 million pesos more into the updating and beautification of city services and its image. The state governor, Zeferino Torreblanca Galindo, is supposed to be in town to inaugurate the initiation of the public works program called Mejoramiento de Imagen Urbana (Urban Image Improvement) on July 29th under which the remodeling and repaving of streets in the downtown core will continue as well as the updating and beautification of parks, plazas, beach accesses, parking areas, etc. Part of this effort is the restoration and refitting (green areas, public lighting, etc.) of 5 de Mayo, Benito Juarez, Morelos, Paseo La Boquita and Paseo El Palmar streets.
Personally, I can only hope that part of this process also includes a betterment and reorganization of the garbage collection service in town as well as the regulation and enforcement of tour bus access and parking in downtown and beach access areas, two subjects that are still sorely in need of attention.
To take a look at the entire press release (in Spanish), please click here: 60 mdp este año para imagen urbana
Anti-Spam Protection by WP-SpamFree