PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) – Puerto Vallarta is losing its charm and history in the name of gentrification. Amidst the growing gentrification within the Romantic Zone of Vallarta, a poignant image reminiscent of Pixar’s animated film ‘Up’ has stirred social media. A single house and a small business stand steadfast between two towering apartment blocks, symbolizing a resistance to the accelerating urbanization of the area.
The photograph, shared on social media by user @ExaArq, came with the caption: “The only house left on this block of the Zona Romántica in Puerto Vallarta due to the emergence of ‘depas for investment’.”
The stark contrast between the old and the new instantly conjured up the narrative of Pixar’s ‘Up’, in which elderly protagonist Carl Fredricksen defies a construction company by refusing to sell his home. This comparison, however, does not gloss over the grim reality of gentrification currently altering Vallarta’s Romantic Zone.
This transformation is primarily driven by a surge in housing demand from foreigners, which results in the displacement of long-standing residents. The shift towards vertical housing, like the apartment towers in the photograph, is prioritizing investment over heritage and community.
There is also a concern about the loss of cultural identity and architectural heritage, the displacement of original residents, and the intensification of social and economic inequality within the city.
The National University of Colombia agrees with this view, highlighting the impact of these developments. “The romantic zone is undergoing a process of urban renewal in terms of recent investment in second-home tourist housing, which is proliferating virulently in practically all areas of the city,” the university stated. The trend towards enclave urbanism is leading to exclusion and gentrification, favoring high-value vertical housing options over traditional community spaces.
As the romantic zone continues to transform under the pressures of urban renewal, the remaining residents persist, their homes standing as steadfast symbols of the city’s architectural and cultural heritage, threatened by the tide of gentrification.
PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - Puerto Vallarta is losing its charm and history in the name of gentrification. Amidst the growing gentrification within the Romantic Zone of Vallarta, a poignant image reminiscent of Pixar's animated film 'Up' has stirred social media. A single house and a small business stand steadfast between two towering apartment blocks, symbolizing a resistance to the accelerating urbanization of the area.
The photograph, shared on social media by user @ExaArq, came with the caption: "The only house left on this block of the Zona Romántica in Puerto Vallarta due to the emergence of 'depas for investment'."
