MEXICO CITY — When Fernando Bustos moved to Mexico City years ago, he had no doubt about where to live. The Roma and Condesa neighborhoods – sidewalk cafes, hip restaurants, thriving art and music, storied architecture – had captured his imagination.

He was not thinking about their vulnerability to earthquakes, like the one in 1985 that devastated both neighborhoods and plunged them into a long funk.

But the earthquake last Tuesday revived that reality. Once again Roma and Condesa were among the hardest hit, and now Mr. Bustos, 34, is reluctantly planning to move from the area he adores.

“It’s terrible to realize that everything was destroyed where you live,” he said. “Despite how much we love this area, it’s not secure.”