Mérida is now well knownfor being one of the few places in Mexico that are still quite safe to visit and live. In fact you would be hard pressed to find a city of comparable size in the US  or Canada that is as safe as Mérida. This sense of security has led to large influx of migrants from other parts of Mexico as well as expats relocating to warmer climes. In addition tourism seems to be increasing as the charms of Mérida become more widely known.  The result of this popularity is that Mérida can lay claim to being the fastest growing city in Mexico. It has been estimated that around 150 people move to Mérida every day which would explain the dramatic increase in traffic and and housing construction during the past few years

Merida is sometimes referred to as the  ‘White City’ (Ciudad Blanca) supposedly because of the number of white buildings erected by the Spanish in the wake of demolishing Mayan temples. Whether or not this is true the city is living up to its moniker with the amount of concrete being laid down in new construction projects. Green city it is certainly not unfortunately. The recently completed Parque La Plancha is a microcosm of how the city is developing recently. The park seems to be mainly concrete with some token efforts at greenspace. Anyway, it’s an improvement on what was there before and hopefully the city can learn for the future.