From Rapid Urbanisation to Rapid Vertical Growth: Planning Policies in Lima, Peru

Abstract

Lima, the capital of Peru with more than eight million residents, exemplifies the challenges of rapid urbanisation: extensive informal settlements and a strong socio-spatial divide between ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ parts of the city. Planning has been unable to effectively address rural–urban migration. Recently, new housing policies have triggered a construction boom and densification in central, formal areas. This paper analyses the role of planning in these processes, focusing on the interaction between local political dynamics, planning policies, and their spatial implications during periods of rapid urbanisation and political-economic change. The study provides an initial overview of spatial planning trends in the fifth largest Latin American metropolis.