Handout–Alexander’s Seven Rules for Urban Design

The growing urbanization in cities of the north of Mexico reflects a generalized tendency according to the global warming and it is probable that the heat waves amplify the frequency and intensity in the urban centers, mainly those located in arid and semi-arid zones, like Mexicali city, with a extreme arid climate, very hot in summer and cool and rainy in winter. Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico it’s located at N 32º 38' and W 115º 20'. The urban area is expanded over 36,794 acres, with a population rise the 640.000. In addition in the last three decades has experienced an accelerated industrial growth, mismatched land uses, for example the industrial parks occupied the 5.5 %, most of them were settle before of the 80’s decade, where it was the city periphery, but nowadays practically are inside of the urban area, contributing to the increase of the urban temperature or the phenomenon known as urban heat island. The main objective of this research was to characterize the t…