Informal Settlers in Lima (I. Olórtegui)

"The first invasions started in the Forties. Before long the urban popular organisations leading them started an autonomy movement at the State and dominant class which peaked in 1979-80 with the formation of the Federation of Young Towns and Popular Urbanisation of Lima and Callao. The first major group of spontaneous settlements in Lima were originally characterised as “urbanizaciones clandestinas” (clandestine urbanisations), and in 1953 they were officially designated “barriadas” by the National Bureau of Planning and Urbanism. As Ludeña indicates, the criteria to define this qualification were related to the materials of the constructions (brick, adobe, cane or waste materials), the level of advance of the building construction and the supply of services and equipment (stable or slow development, moderated advance, violent development), and mainly the ownership of invaded lands (State land, private property or rented plots)."

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Cerro San Cristóbal

Lima (Informal City Dialogues)

Foto by Corey Spruit

"One of the fastest growing economies in Latin America, Lima is in many ways a success story. Since 1960 the population of the metro area has quadrupled, and in that time, poverty has decreased, the middle class has expanded, and the city has modernized. But workers in Lima’s vast informal sector, in which 50 to 65 percent of residents make their living, haven’t benefited from this growth to the same degree as the formal workforce. By some estimates, informal workers’ incomes in Lima are falling, and half of the city’s population is impoverished.

[...] even Lima residents who don’t live in informal settlements or work in the informal economy are touched by both in their daily lives. From public transportation to bootleg DVDs, many goods and services in Lima are procured informally. As the city works to achieve a sense of balance and mutual respect between both sectors, the population at large could benefit enormously."

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Published by The Informal City Dialogues.