This film (‘Del desarraigo al arraigo, y de las trampas a la transformación: Voces de Xochimilco’) is a visual introduction to the neighbourhood and wetland of Xochimilco in Mexico City, as told by a sample of people who share a connection with it. They each give their perspectives on the transformations that are taking place in the region, including their concerns and hopes for the future.

The film is accompanied by a guide to the Transformation Laboratory of the Social-Ecological System of Xochimilco. This detailed publication draws on the experiences of implementing the project ‘Transformation Laboratory of the Xochimilco Social-Ecological System, Mexico City’. It describes the process and methodology developed during the life of the project (between 2016 and 2019), and provides practical resources associated with its main activities.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The project ‘Transformation Laboratory of the Xochimilco Social-Ecological System, Mexico City’, was developed by the National Laboratory of Sustainability Sciences (LANCIS) of the Institute of Ecology, and by the Research Institute in Applied Mathematics and Systems, both housed at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the School of Sustainability of Arizona State University (ASU), as part of the STEPS Pathways to Sustainability Global Consortium.

The PATHWAYS Network carried out comparative research in six countries to explore how to work with local people on social transformations in the context of environmental change. The project conducted ‘Transformation Labs’ (T-Labs) with diverse groups in each country to address a specific socio-ecological problem. Insights about methods and outcomes are shared between the six sites – in Argentina, India, China, Mexico, the UK and Kenya.