Geographies of care in Hermosillo, Mexico

Abstract

Planning cities that prioritize care require empirical data and precise assessments to make care work visible within the urban environment. This study aims to assess the extent to which the urban infrastructure of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, can address the care needs of its population. A methodological approach was developed based on the construction of synthetic indices designed to capture both the supply and demand of care infrastructure. These indices were integrated into a composite Care Index, enabling the analysis of dependency and spatial heterogeneity at the intraurban scale. The findings reveal a clear spatial mismatch between supply and demand of care infrastructure across the city, with the urban configuration significantly shaping the location, extent, and intensity of care services. Based on levels of care infrastructure capacity and burden, the study identifies priority areas that require public policies oriented toward the defamilialization of care, which advocates shifting from informal, family-based care structures toward institutional and community-based support systems. By guiding urban growth toward more equitable models, this research underscores the public and social dimensions of care work—traditionally relegated to the private and domestic sphere—and contributes to advancing the framework of caring city planning.