Puerto Vallarta's August Local News Summary
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, has taken a significant step forward with the approval of its Municipal Development and Governance Plan 2024-2027. This plan, shaped by thousands of voices across the municipality, aims to foster a more inclusive, transparent, and participatory government.
Key elements of the plan include the formal integration of LGBTQ+ rights protections into municipal public policy for the first time in the city's history. The plan includes explicit actions in favour of the LGBTQ+ community, such as creating a Municipal Human Rights Program with affirmative actions for people of diverse sexual orientations. The plan also implements initiatives to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.
The Vallarta Diversity Network, a local LGBTQ+ advocacy group, was involved in the consultation process and emphasized the importance of adequate budget allocation and accountability mechanisms for the plan's implementation and monitoring.
In terms of sustainable mobility, a free urban bus service has been reinstated in Marina Vallarta. This bus service, a result of a collaboration between the Marina Vallarta Residents Association and UNIBUS PV, aims to improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion, and provide a practical, eco-friendly alternative to private vehicles. The bus route begins at 6:30 a.m. on Paseo de la Marina Avenue in front of Plaza Neptuno, looping along Paseo de la Marina Norte and Paseo de la Marina Sur in an 18-minute circuit. The service benefits local employees and tourists visiting Marina Vallarta's hotels, restaurants, shops, and marina facilities.
Another significant development is the construction of the Amado Nervo Bridge, a 900-million-peso infrastructure project designed to improve mobility between Puerto Vallarta and Nayarit. Once completed in November 2026, the bridge will reduce travel time between the two tourist destinations by up to half an hour. The design of the Amado Nervo Bridge includes a bicycle lane and pedestrian spaces, supporting the push for sustainable mobility.
The plan also addresses six strategic pillars: smart governance, community participation, sustainability, economic development, equality, and public safety. A new 4-kilometer access road has been inaugurated in El Jorullo, connecting it to Puerto Vallarta's municipal road network. This new road, expected to open the door for sustainable, low-impact tourism, improves safety, health care access, and educational opportunities for residents.
The Puerto Vallarta City Council's approval of the Municipal Development and Governance Plan 2024-2027 marks a historic step towards a more inclusive and sustainable future for the city. Once published in the Municipal Gazette, the plan will be available online for public review.
[1] Source: Puerto Vallarta City Council press release, dated March 1, 2023.
- The Puerto Vallarta City Council's Municipal Development and Governance Plan 2024-2027, recently approved, introduces LGBTQ+ rights protections in the city's public policy for the first time in history.
- As part of this plan, a Municipal Human Rights Program with affirmative actions for diverse sexual orientations will be established, along with initiatives to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.
- Sustainable mobility is also addressed in the plan, with the reinstatement of a free urban bus service in Marina Vallarta and the construction of the Amado Nervo Bridge, designed to improve travel and include a bicycle lane and pedestrian spaces.
- The plan also focuses on six strategic pillars, including economic development, equality, and public safety, with an inauguration of a new 4-kilometer access road in El Jorullo expected to boost sustainable tourism, safety, healthcare access, and educational opportunities for residents.
- The implementation and monitoring of the plan will involve adequate budget allocation and accountability mechanisms, as emphasized by the Vallarta Diversity Network, a local LGBTQ+ advocacy group involved in the consultation process.
