A year ago this month, opposition politician Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas took possession of a political plum by becoming Mexico City’s first elected mayor since the 1920s. In the process, the leader of the left-leaning Democratic Revolution Party also put himself on the spot. Along with the high-visibility post came a world-class litany of urban ills, some of the gravest of which are environmental. Judging by Cárdenas’ first year in office, it’s unclear when—if ever—he’ll be able to claim substantial progress against such problems as choking smog and fast-dwindling water supplies. But it won’t be for lack of trying. Since he took office promising “a city for all,” the mayor has shown pragmatism and grit in the face of daunting economic... [Log in to read more]