The head of government of Mexico City, Clara Brugada Molina, inaugurated the Utopia La Heroica, in the Venustiano Carranza district, the third inaugurated during her administration, with which the capital now has 750,000 square meters of public space recovered and transformed for well-being, care, culture and sport.
“Utopias are a new way of relating to the city; they are an unprecedented integration of services that have historically been fragmented and isolated; a revolution in public space and the materialization of the right to the city for which millions of people around the world have fought. They are social and territorial justice; access to rights and opportunities that were previously reserved only for those who could afford them; they are peace factories, schools of citizenship, and spaces to rebuild community and the social fabric,” she stated.
Brugada Molina reported that La Heroica is one of the largest Utopias built to date, with its nearly 100,000 square meters dedicated to care, sports, culture, health and community well-being, a project that had an investment of 266 million pesos benefiting more than 100,000 inhabitants of the area.
Clara Brugada explained that the name of the Utopia La Heroica recognizes the historical, popular, and revolutionary memory of Venustiano Carranza, a borough linked to fundamental episodes in national history and the defense of democracy and the country’s sovereignty. She noted that the former Lecumberri Penitentiary, where President Francisco I. Madero was assassinated, is located very close to this site, as are the railway corridors along which the 1914 revolutionary movement passed.
“We decided to name it La Heroica because of the history that Venustiano Carranza represents and as a tribute to the thousands of women and men who, from here, made the first great revolution of the 20th century and dared to dream, against the current, of the utopia of a better, more just, and democratic Mexico. The working population, the women, the youth, the children, and the elderly who sustain this city every day are also heroic,” she stated.
The mayor of the capital highlighted that one of the main pillars of this complex is the Public Care System, which includes Day Centers, Child Care and Development Centers, public laundries, community dining halls, and spaces for relaxation and care for women caregivers.
“A woman can come, leave her children at the Child Development Centers, bring her clothes to be washed, take prepared food and go take a swimming class or receive a relaxation massage,” she explained.
Brugada Molina highlighted the creation of the first Day Center, a unique model within the Utopias and a pioneer in Mexico City, designed as a lodging space for older adults who do not have support networks or family care, where they can receive food, companionship and comprehensive access to all services.
“Now the City Government is taking responsibility for the care of older adults, as it should be. For the first time in Mexico City, we have built a permanent housing program for seniors facing unwanted loneliness, social isolation, or vulnerability; a space where they can live, have a supportive network, and have full access to all the services of this Utopia to remain connected, active, and integrated into the community,” she stated.
The Head of Government pointed out that La Heroica also has a Health Center equipped with specialized medical offices, gynecology services such as mammography, geriatrics and dentistry, a free clinical laboratory and a physical rehabilitation center with a pool adapted for therapies and care for people with disabilities.
Brugada also mentioned that the complex incorporates spaces for emotional care and mental health, as well as auditoriums, a library, outdoor forums and areas for music, dance, theater and artistic activities.
“Democratizing culture is the only way to build truly free societies. Art, knowledge, and beauty are not the privilege of a few; they are the rights of everyone,” she said.
In sports matters, Clara Brugada highlighted that this new Utopia strengthens the city’s community infrastructure with an Olympic-size swimming pool, boxing gym, skatepark, and courts for volleyball, squash, padel, basketball, and petanque, among other disciplines, all free for the population.
The Mayor noted that renting a private padel court can cost between 500 and 700 pesos per hour, while access to this public space will be free.
La Heroica also has recreational spaces for girls and boys, immersive games, wetlands, pollinator gardens, green areas, a veterinary clinic, a dog park and an offering of more than 250 sports, cultural, educational and recreational activities for the entire community.
The head of the Secretariat of Works and Services (SOBSE), Raúl Basulto Luviano, assured that with the construction of the Utopia “La Heroica” a historic public space is recovered in a point of coexistence, care, health, culture and sport for the benefit of thousands of families from the Michoacana, Morelos, Emiliano Carranza, Penitenciaría and Quinto Tramo 20 de Noviembre neighborhoods.
It includes a Public Care System, with lactation and children’s rooms, a community laundry, a temazcal (traditional sweat lodge), and spaces for emotional and social support. It is the first Utopia to incorporate a senior living facility, provided through inter-institutional collaboration with the city government.
In addition, she added that it has equipment dedicated to the comprehensive development of women, a spa, and spaces and activities that contribute to strengthening self-esteem, reducing stress and maintaining emotional balance, with rooms for psychological and legal care and a Colibrí Center for people who use psychoactive substances.
In the area of health, a facility was built that includes medical offices, a clinical laboratory with free mammography services, and a physical rehabilitation area with a hydrotherapy pool. The complex also features a 400-seat auditorium, a radio studio, and classrooms for dance, music, and workshops.
Regarding sports, the project includes a semi-Olympic swimming pool, a boxing gym, a six-lane running track, and various sports fields for American football, volleyball, soccer, squash, padel, and pétanque. Additionally, spaces were created for economic development, supplies, and food; a native corn tortilla factory, a water and wellness center, a rural-to-urban supply point, a community kitchen, an employment agency, and an area for fair trade.
Infrastructure for animal welfare was also incorporated, including a dog park and veterinary clinics. In addition, spaces promoting environmental stewardship were created, such as wetlands, pollinator gardens, recycled street furniture, and heating systems. Green areas were also restored and now include recreational facilities, an eco-friendly ice rink, a mini-golf course, an aerial bungee jump, 15 illuminated animal sculptures, and six giant balloons, among other installations.
The Legal Counsel to the Mexican Government, Luisa María Alcalde Luján, emphasized that the Utopias represent a public policy that prioritizes human dignity, reduces inequalities, and strengthens community life through free access to cultural and sporting activities and care facilities. She noted that these spaces reflect the principles of the transformation movement by addressing the root causes of violence and poverty from a profoundly humane and inclusive perspective.
Luisa María Alcalde Luján also stated that, in a context where the right wing is betting on disinformation and seeking to return to a model of privileges for a few, the Utopias clearly show the difference between both city projects.
“While they build exclusion, we build community; while they talk about fear, we talk about hope,” she said, acknowledging the mayor for making this model a reality in Mexico City.
- The Utopia La Heroica has almost 100,000 square meters and an investment of 266 million pesos, benefiting more than 100,000 inhabitants of Venustiano Carranza.
- For the first time in a Utopia, a “House of Life” is incorporated, a pioneering model of permanent accommodation for older adults facing unwanted loneliness, social isolation or vulnerable situations, with comprehensive care day and night.
- La Heroica has an Olympic swimming pool, boxing gym, skatepark and courts for soccer, volleyball, squash, padel, basketball and petanque, in addition to more than 250 free sports, cultural, educational and recreational activities.
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