Roads on the Isthmus
Series: Here Where We Live: Mexico and NAFTA
From: Round Earth Media
Length: 00:07:39
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A different version of this piece is scheduled to air on Marketplace the last week of May
One of the benefits that free trade was supposed to bring to Mexico was a vastly improved road system. A network of highways would help producers of all sorts of products speed their goods to market. But many poor people in Mexico say superhighways won't improve their lives. Some have even managed to block major road projects. Independent producers Mary Stucky and Mary Losure filed this report, one in a series of stories looking at the impact of free trade on the land and people of Mexico.
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Piece Description
A different version of this piece is scheduled to air on Marketplace the last week of May One of the benefits that free trade was supposed to bring to Mexico was a vastly improved road system. A network of highways would help producers of all sorts of products speed their goods to market. But many poor people in Mexico say superhighways won't improve their lives. Some have even managed to block major road projects. Independent producers Mary Stucky and Mary Losure filed this report, one in a series of stories looking at the impact of free trade on the land and people of Mexico.
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Yolette Garcia
Posted on November 26, 2005 at 05:45 PM | Permalink
Review of Roads on the Isthmus
Good sound and a clear, descriptive narrative define this piece about a strategic region for Mexican globalism. The tensions surrounding development are high. The producers interview villagers, an American banker, and a Mexican official about the consequences of developing a poor area for tourism and trade. The reporting is interesting because the villagers don’t approve of a superhighway or a tollway linking them to other cities. They regard tourism as a contaminant, even. The government, in many cases, has had to back down. Although the producers don’t specifically identify the region, the title hints that this is the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which links the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. The isthmus has been the target of development throughout history and it remains to be seen how aggressively Mexico can pursue its plans. This is an informative piece.