The topic of the thesis is sustainable development, specifically sustainable development of urban systems. It is a very topical theme, the cities are currently home to more than half of the population of the entire planet and mostly cities contribute to the environmental pollution deterioration, the distortion of the ecological balance of our planet and cause serious global problems. The work consists of four chapters. The first three chapters constitute the theoretical basis for the last practical part. The first chapter introduces the concept of sustainable development in general, its history, definitions, issues and indicators of sustainable development principles. In the second and third chapter I analyze the sustainable urban development. On the basis of theoretical knowledges, chapters create the hypothesis according to which should be set up two different concepts of sustainable urban development considering differences between the cities of developed and developing countries. The final chapter analyzes the strategies of selected cities, Mexico and Freiburg, how to achieve sustainable urban development with respect to different methods of developing and developed country.

Em diálogo com um debate que questiona a fortaleza do Estado de direito e o lugar da ordem legal na construção de um regime democrático, esta pesquisa analisa o fundamento e o funcionamento da Lei de Cultura Cívica da Cidade do México. A Lei de Cultura Cívica é uma lei que, desde 2004, regula o uso do espaço público (práticas, atividades, comportamentos) na capital mexicana, enquanto o juzgado cívico é a instituição na qual se processam e se determinam as conciliações, responsabilidades, infrações e punições dos infratores dessa lei. Com base em um trabalho de campo em um juzgado cívico do Centro Histórico da Cidade do México, exploram-se as configurações históricas e políticas que têm feito desse espaço uma zona entre fronteiras de legalidade entre o legal, o ilegal e o informal, em um denso entramado de relacionamentos sociais e circuitos de mercadorias. Assim, a partir de práticas e contextos situados, em uma perspectiva de antropologia do Estado, estuda-se o uso cotidiano que, nos juzgados cívicos, se faz da Lei de Cultura Cívica. Nesses usos, analisam-se particularmente os circuitos, as práticas e os mecanismos pelos quais é possível produzir uma verdade jurídica que diverge do registro empírico. Para analisar essas práticas e produções dentro do campo jurídico, propõe-se o conceito de legalismo. Finalmente, considera-se o espaço do arbítrio e da discrição na Lei de Cultura Cívica, como parte de um direito administrativo que espalha, pelas ruas da cidade, um particular poder de polícia, um poder que, em nome da lei, suspende, com suma frequência, os próprios princípios legais. / In dialogue with a debate that questions the strength of the rule of law and the place of legal order in the construction of a democratic regime, this research analyzes the foundation and operation of the Civic Culture Law of Mexico City. The Civic Culture Law is a law that, since 2004, regulates the use of public space (practices, activities, behaviors) in Mexico City, while the juzgado cívico is the institution in which the reconciliations, responsibilities, infractions and punishments of the offenders of this law are processed and determined. Based on fieldwork in a juzgado cívico in Mexico City\'s Historic Center, I explore the historical and political configurations that have made of this space a zone between boundaries of legality between the legal, the illegal and the informal in a dense web of social relationships and commercial circuits. Therefore, based on practices and situated contexts, in a perspective of anthropology of the State, I study the everyday use of the Civic Culture Law in the juzgados cívicos. Regarding these uses, I analyze with particular attention the circuits, practices and mechanisms that enable the production of a legal truth that differs from the empirical record. To analyze these practices and productions within the legal field, I propose the concept of legalism. Finally, I consider the place of arbitrariness and discretion in the Civic Culture Law as part of an administrative law that spreads, throughout the city streets, a particular police power, a power that, in the name of the law, often suspends the laws legal principles.

Em diálogo com um debate que questiona a fortaleza do Estado de direito e o lugar da ordem legal na construção de um regime democrático, esta pesquisa analisa o fundamento e o funcionamento da Lei de Cultura Cívica da Cidade do México. A Lei de Cultura Cívica é uma lei que, desde 2004, regula o uso do espaço público (práticas, atividades, comportamentos) na capital mexicana, enquanto o juzgado cívico é a instituição na qual se processam e se determinam as conciliações, responsabilidades, infrações e punições dos infratores dessa lei. Com base em um trabalho de campo em um juzgado cívico do Centro Histórico da Cidade do México, exploram-se as configurações históricas e políticas que têm feito desse espaço uma zona entre fronteiras de legalidade entre o legal, o ilegal e o informal, em um denso entramado de relacionamentos sociais e circuitos de mercadorias. Assim, a partir de práticas e contextos situados, em uma perspectiva de antropologia do Estado, estuda-se o uso cotidiano que, nos juzgados cívicos, se faz da Lei de Cultura Cívica. Nesses usos, analisam-se particularmente os circuitos, as práticas e os mecanismos pelos quais é possível produzir uma verdade jurídica que diverge do registro empírico. Para analisar essas práticas e produções dentro do campo jurídico, propõe-se o conceito de legalismo. Finalmente, considera-se o espaço do arbítrio e da discrição na Lei de Cultura Cívica, como parte de um direito administrativo que espalha, pelas ruas da cidade, um particular poder de polícia, um poder que, em nome da lei, suspende, com suma frequência, os próprios princípios legais. / In dialogue with a debate that questions the strength of the rule of law and the place of legal order in the construction of a democratic regime, this research analyzes the foundation and operation of the Civic Culture Law of Mexico City. The Civic Culture Law is a law that, since 2004, regulates the use of public space (practices, activities, behaviors) in Mexico City, while the juzgado cívico is the institution in which the reconciliations, responsibilities, infractions and punishments of the offenders of this law are processed and determined. Based on fieldwork in a juzgado cívico in Mexico City\'s Historic Center, I explore the historical and political configurations that have made of this space a zone between boundaries of legality between the legal, the illegal and the informal in a dense web of social relationships and commercial circuits. Therefore, based on practices and situated contexts, in a perspective of anthropology of the State, I study the everyday use of the Civic Culture Law in the juzgados cívicos. Regarding these uses, I analyze with particular attention the circuits, practices and mechanisms that enable the production of a legal truth that differs from the empirical record. To analyze these practices and productions within the legal field, I propose the concept of legalism. Finally, I consider the place of arbitrariness and discretion in the Civic Culture Law as part of an administrative law that spreads, throughout the city streets, a particular police power, a power that, in the name of the law, often suspends the laws legal principles.

The interests for academic studies of contemporary Sufism and Sufism in non-Islamic countries have become more popular, but little has been done in Latin America. The studies of Islam in this continent are limited and studies on Sufism in Mexico seem to be an unexplored area. As a student of journalism target religion I see this as an important topic that can generate new information for the study of Sufism. This thesis is therefore aimed to describe the group of Sufis I have chosen to study, Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in Mexico, linked to Human Rights in form of how members of the Sufi order perceive Religious Freedom in Mexico. A minor field study was carried out in Colonia Roma, Mexico City during October and November 2014. The place was chosen because this is the place where Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order exists in Mexico. The investigation is qualitative and based on an ethnographic study of eight weeks and semi structured interviews with three dervishes of the Sufi order, where two of them are men and one is a woman. Based on my purpose I have formulated the following questions: How do members of Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in Mexico define Sufism? And how do they describe and practice their religious belief? How do members of Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in Mexico express the situation to belong to a religious minority in the country? And how do the members perceive religious freedom in Mexico? The question of my research is therefore: Do members of Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in Mexico express that they feel free to practice their religion? And if so, how? The results of the study shows that all the informants express that they feel free to practice their religion as a Sufi. One of the respondents that also belongs to the Conchero tradition, which is a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, says that he has experienced discrimination from both the government and other citizens due to that he belong to the Conchero tradition. Information from the respondents’ shows that Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in Mexico is such a small community that people does not consider them. This might be one of the reasons why members of Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in Mexico have the freedom to practice their religion. / Minor Field Studies (MFS)

This study examines the cult of Our Lady of Remedios from an art-historical perspective. Choosing this specific cult statue as a case study is not arbitrary: Remedios is among the oldest Marian images in the New World and was named first patroness of Mexico City in 1574, when the city council became the patron of her shrine and a confraternity was founded to better disseminate the cult. As a result, the statue was carried fifty-seven times through the streets of New Spain's capital in three hundred years (an average of one procession every five years), thus outnumbering any other religious event that was not part of the liturgical calendar. The fame of Our Lady of Remedios was closely linked to her role as Socia Belli of the Spanish army, as she was believed to have protected Hernán Cortés and his allies during the conquest of Mexico-Tenochtitlán in 1520-21. Her character as protector in times of war was enhanced in the centuries to come, when she was called to the city on every occasion when the Spanish Crown was involved in military campaigns. Her protection, however, was mainly requested in times of drought and epidemics, a reason for which her fame as protectress of the city grew intensively, and all sectors of society (Spanish, Indians, and Castas) followed her with the same fervent faith. This dissertation is a monographic study of a miraculous image that has hitherto been overlooked in the history of colonial religiosity of New Spain despite its symbolic relevance for the society of its time. It considers the sixteenth-century statue and the ways it was displayed to its devotional audiences as documents that inform us about its social role. By placing this cult image in the ritual context to which it belonged, both spatial and spiritual, this study considers the devotional gaze with which her devotees engaged her showing how devotion, aesthetics and politics were intertwined during colonial Mexico. / History of Art and Architecture

In the last 50 years, Mexico, like many other countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, has experienced accelerated urban growth. Urban growth has been accompanied by an increase in urban poverty. While the spatial distribution of poverty in urban areas in Mexico is varied, new settlements that tend to grow in the peri-urban hinterland of cities are largely associated with poverty. This is because inexpensive, but mostly illegal, agricultural land (ejido or private) has been alienated to satisfy the demands of low income population for housing. The focus of this study lay in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC), which is the habitat of diverse low-income groups. Among those groups are the campesinos (people with rural background engaged totally or partially in agricultural livelihoods). Some studies have suggested that campesinos are very vulnerable to urban growth, since population expansion has put severe pressure on their agricultural land, which, despite its marginal value, is used to produce crops for either semi-commercialisation or subsistence. Although such research has showed how poor campesinos have engaged in non-agricultural activities to make a living and how land and their communities are threatened by urban growth due to speculative pressures on land and/or environmental deterioration, little is known about the impact of urban growth in the process of impoverishment of campesinos living in peri-urban areas. This study aims to understand how the growth of the MAMC affects poverty in campesinos’ households, in order to recommend directions for poverty reduction. Three villages in Chalco municipality, which is situated in the peri-urban fringe of Mexico City, were selected as the study area. Based on the development of a conceptual framework, this study considered three interconnected elements underpinning poverty: multi-dimensionality, complexity and dynamism. For this reason, the Sustainable Livelihoods approach was selected as an analytical tool, as it provided a flexible analytical framework that encompasses all those elements. The study is divided in three stages. In the first stage (namely documental investigation), a series of published and unpublished written materials were reviewed to determine how the growth of the MAMC transformed the nature and availability of resources in Chalco municipality from 1970 to 2000. This stage was followed by the empirical investigation that aimed to examine how those transformations affected campesinos’ assets (human, natural, physical, productive and social), the strategies they used to adapt to such changes, and how they perceived changes in poverty status. Accordingly, for this stage, quantitative and qualitative longitudinal and cross-sectional data were collected from 110 campesinos’ households living in the study area in 1997 and 2003 by using structured questionnaires. Qualitative data were also collected by using semi-structured interviews from 34 campesinos’ households in 2000. The final stage, called recommendations, involved the synthesis of the results of the documental and empirical investigations and suggests a series of directions for poverty reduction in campesinsos’ households in the study area. The documental and empirical investigations revealed that changes in asset ownership, between 1997 to 2003, depended on both transformation in the nature and availability of resources in Chalco and intra-household organization. Fundamental transformations in socio-demographic, economic, natural, physical and political/organisational resources of Chalco municipality were mainly, but not exclusively, associated with the growth of the MAMC. Climatic and physical characteristics of Chalco were also evident. To respond to such changes, campesinos implemented a series of strategies to get access to resources. Such strategies were based on campesinos’ needs, priorities and the portfolio of assets available, and their functionality. It was clear that campesinos depleted some existing assets to acquire urban assets and preserve their rural assets. In some instances, such strategies led campesinos’ families to satisfy their basic needs and, therefore, perceive themselves as non-poor. However, in other instances, such strategies prevented families from meeting their needs, leading them to the perception of being poor. The recommendation was made that in order to reduce poverty among campesinos in the study area, it was necessary to identify different alternatives to support their urban and rural assets and certain of their strategies that improve the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities and mitigate constraints to meeting their goals.

In the last 50 years, Mexico, like many other countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, has experienced accelerated urban growth. Urban growth has been accompanied by an increase in urban poverty. While the spatial distribution of poverty in urban areas in Mexico is varied, new settlements that tend to grow in the peri-urban hinterland of cities are largely associated with poverty. This is because inexpensive, but mostly illegal, agricultural land (ejido or private) has been alienated to satisfy the demands of low income population for housing. The focus of this study lay in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC), which is the habitat of diverse low-income groups. Among those groups are the campesinos (people with rural background engaged totally or partially in agricultural livelihoods). Some studies have suggested that campesinos are very vulnerable to urban growth, since population expansion has put severe pressure on their agricultural land, which, despite its marginal value, is used to produce crops for either semi-commercialisation or subsistence. Although such research has showed how poor campesinos have engaged in non-agricultural activities to make a living and how land and their communities are threatened by urban growth due to speculative pressures on land and/or environmental deterioration, little is known about the impact of urban growth in the process of impoverishment of campesinos living in peri-urban areas. This study aims to understand how the growth of the MAMC affects poverty in campesinos’ households, in order to recommend directions for poverty reduction. Three villages in Chalco municipality, which is situated in the peri-urban fringe of Mexico City, were selected as the study area. Based on the development of a conceptual framework, this study considered three interconnected elements underpinning poverty: multi-dimensionality, complexity and dynamism. For this reason, the Sustainable Livelihoods approach was selected as an analytical tool, as it provided a flexible analytical framework that encompasses all those elements. The study is divided in three stages. In the first stage (namely documental investigation), a series of published and unpublished written materials were reviewed to determine how the growth of the MAMC transformed the nature and availability of resources in Chalco municipality from 1970 to 2000. This stage was followed by the empirical investigation that aimed to examine how those transformations affected campesinos’ assets (human, natural, physical, productive and social), the strategies they used to adapt to such changes, and how they perceived changes in poverty status. Accordingly, for this stage, quantitative and qualitative longitudinal and cross-sectional data were collected from 110 campesinos’ households living in the study area in 1997 and 2003 by using structured questionnaires. Qualitative data were also collected by using semi-structured interviews from 34 campesinos’ households in 2000. The final stage, called recommendations, involved the synthesis of the results of the documental and empirical investigations and suggests a series of directions for poverty reduction in campesinsos’ households in the study area. The documental and empirical investigations revealed that changes in asset ownership, between 1997 to 2003, depended on both transformation in the nature and availability of resources in Chalco and intra-household organization. Fundamental transformations in socio-demographic, economic, natural, physical and political/organisational resources of Chalco municipality were mainly, but not exclusively, associated with the growth of the MAMC. Climatic and physical characteristics of Chalco were also evident. To respond to such changes, campesinos implemented a series of strategies to get access to resources. Such strategies were based on campesinos’ needs, priorities and the portfolio of assets available, and their functionality. It was clear that campesinos depleted some existing assets to acquire urban assets and preserve their rural assets. In some instances, such strategies led campesinos’ families to satisfy their basic needs and, therefore, perceive themselves as non-poor. However, in other instances, such strategies prevented families from meeting their needs, leading them to the perception of being poor. The recommendation was made that in order to reduce poverty among campesinos in the study area, it was necessary to identify different alternatives to support their urban and rural assets and certain of their strategies that improve the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities and mitigate constraints to meeting their goals.

In the last 50 years, Mexico, like many other countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, has experienced accelerated urban growth. Urban growth has been accompanied by an increase in urban poverty. While the spatial distribution of poverty in urban areas in Mexico is varied, new settlements that tend to grow in the peri-urban hinterland of cities are largely associated with poverty. This is because inexpensive, but mostly illegal, agricultural land (ejido or private) has been alienated to satisfy the demands of low income population for housing. The focus of this study lay in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC), which is the habitat of diverse low-income groups. Among those groups are the campesinos (people with rural background engaged totally or partially in agricultural livelihoods). Some studies have suggested that campesinos are very vulnerable to urban growth, since population expansion has put severe pressure on their agricultural land, which, despite its marginal value, is used to produce crops for either semi-commercialisation or subsistence. Although such research has showed how poor campesinos have engaged in non-agricultural activities to make a living and how land and their communities are threatened by urban growth due to speculative pressures on land and/or environmental deterioration, little is known about the impact of urban growth in the process of impoverishment of campesinos living in peri-urban areas. This study aims to understand how the growth of the MAMC affects poverty in campesinos’ households, in order to recommend directions for poverty reduction. Three villages in Chalco municipality, which is situated in the peri-urban fringe of Mexico City, were selected as the study area. Based on the development of a conceptual framework, this study considered three interconnected elements underpinning poverty: multi-dimensionality, complexity and dynamism. For this reason, the Sustainable Livelihoods approach was selected as an analytical tool, as it provided a flexible analytical framework that encompasses all those elements. The study is divided in three stages. In the first stage (namely documental investigation), a series of published and unpublished written materials were reviewed to determine how the growth of the MAMC transformed the nature and availability of resources in Chalco municipality from 1970 to 2000. This stage was followed by the empirical investigation that aimed to examine how those transformations affected campesinos’ assets (human, natural, physical, productive and social), the strategies they used to adapt to such changes, and how they perceived changes in poverty status. Accordingly, for this stage, quantitative and qualitative longitudinal and cross-sectional data were collected from 110 campesinos’ households living in the study area in 1997 and 2003 by using structured questionnaires. Qualitative data were also collected by using semi-structured interviews from 34 campesinos’ households in 2000. The final stage, called recommendations, involved the synthesis of the results of the documental and empirical investigations and suggests a series of directions for poverty reduction in campesinsos’ households in the study area. The documental and empirical investigations revealed that changes in asset ownership, between 1997 to 2003, depended on both transformation in the nature and availability of resources in Chalco and intra-household organization. Fundamental transformations in socio-demographic, economic, natural, physical and political/organisational resources of Chalco municipality were mainly, but not exclusively, associated with the growth of the MAMC. Climatic and physical characteristics of Chalco were also evident. To respond to such changes, campesinos implemented a series of strategies to get access to resources. Such strategies were based on campesinos’ needs, priorities and the portfolio of assets available, and their functionality. It was clear that campesinos depleted some existing assets to acquire urban assets and preserve their rural assets. In some instances, such strategies led campesinos’ families to satisfy their basic needs and, therefore, perceive themselves as non-poor. However, in other instances, such strategies prevented families from meeting their needs, leading them to the perception of being poor. The recommendation was made that in order to reduce poverty among campesinos in the study area, it was necessary to identify different alternatives to support their urban and rural assets and certain of their strategies that improve the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities and mitigate constraints to meeting their goals.

Academics within the field of education have produced extensive research. The purpose of previous studies has often been to explain the underlying causes, with a generalizing result, to how education operate within a nation. To contribute with an urban perspective, this studies aim is to research how parents from different socio-economic backgrounds in Mexico City are reasoning about their children’s schooling and education. What individual choices they have made and how the social context has impacted on these choices. The respondents were selected through a snowball selection using interviews with semistructured questions for data collection. The material was coded into two themes, individual level and societal level. The respondents with wealthier and poorer socioeconomic background were analysed separately and then compared and summarised. The theoretical framework is a combination of the human capability approach together with the findings in previous research. A finding in the research is that education is perceived differently depending on the socio-economic background. The respondents with wealthier socio-economic background are referring to the future work career and economic security as benefits for their children. The respondents with poorer socio-economic background are mentioning the opportunity to change their lives and “to not become like them”. Despite the different benefits mentioned, all respondents’ value education as the most important investment in life for their children. The conclusion drawn from the study is, that no matter what their socio-economic background is education a high priority.

This study analyzes the procedures and operations of the Quartermaster, Ordnance, Commissary, and Medical Departments during Scott's campaign to determine the efficiency of the prevailing logistical system. Unpublished and published government documents, official records, manuscript collections, memoirs, diaries, and newspapers provide the data. The first chapter describes the logistical departments interworkings; the remaining chapters detail the operations of the bureaus during the expedition's assembly and campaign against Mexico City. The evidence revealed organizational deficiencies which caused severe shortages, particularly in transportation, for Scott's army. The shortages severely hampered the expedition. Because of .the numerous victories over 'Mexican forces, however,. American leaders ignored the organizational deficiencies, These shortcomings reappeared to .impede operations during the Civil War.