The Planning and Real Estate Implications of North American Retirees Moving to Mexico : A Study of Bucerias

Over the past decades, thousands of U.S. and Canadian retirees have moved to Mexico in search of better living conditions. Although the total number of foreign retirees in Mexico represents a small fraction of the total Mexican population, their concentration in specific communities suggests that the impact on these communities may be significant. Furthermore, a series of circumstances such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Internet, as well as the imminent demographic changes in the U.S. population all suggest that a dramatic increase in the number of retirees moving to Mexico might occur. Recent trends among the North American retirees that are moving to Mexico suggest that the retirees are becoming younger and that they are increasingly locating in Mexico's northwestern coasts. While the impact that the presence of North Americans may have in small coastal communities may be important, there is a lack of research on this phenomenon. This thesis is an exploratory study of a particular community, Bucerfas (Nayarit), which is experiencing this p-:enomenon. The thesis intends to unveil the major planning and real estate implications of foreign retirees living in one such coastal community. The study is mostly based on extensive qualitative on-site interviews. Useful evidence for both local authorities as well as for real estate and tourism industry professionals on the positive and negative implications of the presence of retirees is provided. Thesis Supervisor: J. Mark Schuster Title: Professor of Urban Cultural Pol:cy