As a governmental function, development for progress and welfare is a highly complex process that involves updating various attributes (such as a paradigm, critical or alternative, depending on of the way in which they are articulated regarding social aspects, environmental, and economic growth, as well as the institutional capacity of public and private actors). Regarding this, we are interested in the municipal institutional capacity (MIC) as a skill to carry out the functions and appropriate tasks that municipalities must fulfill in an effective, efficient, and sustainable way, and it varies considerably, depending on each local context. In order to analyze the relevance of the current official regionalization as a state government strategy for the centralized construction of MIC, an exploratory approach to its spatial behavior in the State of Veracruz, Mexico, was carried out. Given the nature of the study, a purely mixed approach, sequential exploratory design, subnational analysis methodology, and exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) were employed. The variable to be analyzed is the 2016 Municipal Functional Capacities Index (Índice de Capacidades Funcionales Municipales (ICFM)), with the Geostatistics Framework cartographic base of the 2020 Population and Housing Census. The analysis units are 212 municipalities in the 2014–2017 government period. As a result, it was confirmed that the current regionalization was irrelevant, owing to the absence of global spatial autocorrelation, and it was concluded that targeted interventions are necessary according to regional modeling techniques, based on scientific evidence.

Lead (Pb) as a pollutant is not biodegradable, tends to accumulate in different organisms, and can affect, for example, the performance of maize crops. However, only a few studies have reported on the effect of lead (Pb) and the relationship with the potential of hydrogen (pH) of water on crop performance. Thus, this study aimed at determining the influence of Pb and its relationship with the pH of water on the growth of Creole maize (Zea mays L.). In order to achieve this, a double bottom vessel system, isolated from the soil, was used to expose the plants to an aqueous Pb solution based on the equivalence of 1.5985 g of lead nitrate (Pb(NO₃)₂) per g of Pb. An experimental design of the two-factor response surface methodology (RSM) was applied. The Creole maize plants were exposed to four different concentrations of Pb in water [0 g L⁻¹ (P1: control); 0.33 g L⁻¹ (P2); 0.66 g L⁻¹ (P3); 1 g L⁻¹ (P4)], as well as to three different pH levels (5.5 (pH1); 6.5 (pH2); 7.5 (pH3)) in clay soil typical of the region. Subsequently, the relationship of these variables with maize growth was determined. The results showed a decrease in leaf growth, height, stem circumference, and root. However, it was also determined that these negative effects can be mitigated by controlling the pH of water in 7.5. Failure to control the combination of these two factors in the cultivation process generally results in an impact on the growth of the maize seedling. In addition, leaf discoloration was also observed in the leaves of maize plants from the concentration of 0.33 g L⁻¹ (P2), which suggests a nutritional anomaly that is toxic to the plant.

This study aimed at evaluating the performance of the Municipal Institutional Capacity diagnostic methodologies used in Mexico to determine which has the best theoretical, practical, and technical adjustment in municipalities of the federated state of Veracruz (periods of governance 2018-2021 and 2014-2017). For this research, a mixed, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational research design was employed. The Subnational Analysis method with municipal unit scale was used and content analysis techniques, structured observation, descriptive statistics, and correlation tests were applied. Findings suggest that the Municipal Institutional Development Index showed better overall performance compared to Municipal Functional Capacities Index and Municipal Performance Consultative Guide. The areas of opportunity that were identified in the methodologies include: maximizing the temporal stability and regularity of the measurements (in two cases); the complete contiguity of areas and maximizing the observations (in one case); and, in all three cases, improving the sensitivity of the techniques to the theoretical assumption, as well as strengthening the sustainability approach.

Los habitantes de una ciudad sostenible no consumen más energía de la que generan, por lo que para diseñar una ciudad de este tipo se debe tomar en cuenta los beneficios directamente para los ciudadanos, en este trabajo se abordan factores que podrían ser capitalizados y aprovechados para crear ciudades sostenibles en México, a través del análisis de los recursos disponibles en ese país, con un enfoque diferente al de pensar en altos edificios o calles anchas, sebe tomar en cuenta la calidad de vida que en ella se puede ofrecer a través del acceso a los recursos básicos además de ofrecer seguridad, buena calidad de aire, transporte eficiente, espacios para actividades al aire libre, disponibilidad de áreas verdes, entre otros. Por lo que en este manuscrito se abordan algunas características que a consideración de los autores se deben tomar en cuenta, si México pretende contar con ciudades de este tipo en el futuro, concluyendo que en ese país se cuenta con lo necesario para alcanzarlo, pero se necesita actuar lo antes posible con política pública, participación ciudadana y académica para lograrlo.