Incremental Formality: Where Formality and Informality Meet

1500’s colonization and it is now home to one of the fastest growing informal settlement cities in Latin America. These settlement cities are often characterized by their lack of accessibility to clean water, unsafe living environments paired with lower-quality, or non-durable materials, as well as a general lack of recognition by governments. With Lima being located in the middle of the desert, sustainable design in general has been difficult to implement. This thesis looks to explore methods to create a low-cost mixed-use building with implantations of urban farming the people of Villa Maria Del Triunfo. Though the Peruvian government has acknowledged the growing population of these informal invaders, they have failed to adapt to their needs, leaving nearly 30% of Lima’s residents to live in these extreme conditions. This project further investigates opportunities to develop these environments and grow with the suffering populations in Villa Maria Del Triunfo