Mexico, Mexico City: Contaminated oil refinery turned into urban park with a million visitors a year
For fifty-eight years, an oil refinery in Mexico City’s urban core spewed lead, benzene, and heavy metals into the air, contributing to the capital’s former reputation as the most polluted city on the planet. The grounds of the refinery were saturated with toxins meters below surface and the groundwater was contaminated. Working with the corporate sector, universities and industry, the Government of Mexico successfully remediated the area and today, the site is one of Mexico City’s most beloved parks.
