Spatial planning and residential expansion in the Global South: Evidence from Lima, Peru

Until the 1990s, the Peruvian housing policies exhibited a wide tolerance toward occupation of peripheral land by poor residents, while the state solved the housing demand of the poor allocating large extensions of land for new informal settlements. In front of a very weak spatial planning, the housing policy became a de-facto land-use policy, contributing to the proliferation of informal settlements and shaping Lima’s current urban structure. Since the 1990s, however, changing demographic and political-economic issues have drastically transformed the urban scene. A housing reform was established in 2001, striving to turn housing into ‘another good to be produced, sold and bought’ (UN Habitat, 2005, p. xlix) in the market. The new housing policies, combined with a growing economy, a very high housing demand and the lack of available land for new expansions have led to the strong intensification of land use in central areas of Lima. Thousands of new homes have been built, but yet very few for the poor. In the planning field, on the other hand, after a severe crisis of legitimacy, city stakeholders are now demanding a more relevant role for spatial planning. Given that adequate housing for all, and a significant role for spatial planning are indispensable for a sustainable type of urban development (UN Habitat, 2009) the present study explores these topics, analysing the effects of the housing policies in Lima’s pattern of urban development, and the changing nature of spatial planning. The final objective is to assess up to what extent are the policies and processes occurring in Lima conducing to a more compact and sustainable type of metropolitan growth