The Crisis in Architectural Image

Abstract

This article reflects on the crisis of the architectural and urban image of León, Guanajuato, based on the transformations experienced by the city during the final decades of the twentieth century. The author considers architecture a material testimony capable of expressing the historical, social, and economic conditions of a community. Within this context, he argues that the 1985 earthquakes in Mexico City intensified migration to León and contributed to accelerating its growth, with significant consequences for architecture and urban planning. The absence of a comprehensive concept of the city and the implementation of isolated projects intended to address immediate needs generated architectural contradictions and hindered the consolidation of an authentic urban identity. The article also examines the role of roadways, open spaces, plazas, landscaping, urban infrastructure, and visual pollution in shaping the urban image. In contrast to development driven by automobiles and economic, administrative, and political interests, it proposes recovering the human scale as a fundamental principle of urban organization. Planning should foster harmonious relationships among roadways, architecture, landscape, and different land uses, while also regulating visual pollution. Finally, the author presents harmony as a principle for constructing a diverse yet integrated city, where architectural differences can coexist within a recognizable whole based on identity, respect for the environment, and a sense of belonging.