The data presented here were originally collected for the article “Frontiers of Urbanization: Identifying and Explaining Urbanization Hot Spots in the South of Mexico City Using Human and Remote Sensing” (Rodriguez et al. 2017) [4]. They were divided into three databases (remote sensing, human sensing, and census information), using a multi-method approach with the goal of analyzing the impact of urbanization on protected areas in southern Mexico City. The remote sensing database was prepared as a result of a semi-automatic classification, dividing the land cover data into urban and non-urban classes. The second data set details an alternative view of the phenomena of urbanization by concentrating on illegal settlements in the conservation zone. It was based on voluntary complaints about environmental and land use offences filed at the Procuraduria Ambiental y del Ordenamiento Territorial del Distrito Federal (PAOT), which is a governmental entity responsible for reviewing and processing grievances on five basic topics: illegal land use, deterioration of green areas, waste, noise/vibrations, and animals. Anyone can file a PAOT complaint by phone, electronically, or in person. The complaint ends with a resolution, act of conciliation, or recommendation for action by other actors, such as the police or health office. The third data about unemployment was extracted from Mexico׳s National Census 2010 database available via public access.