Lima’s Slums: Problems or Solutions? Professor Bill Chambers Liverpool Hope University President Geographical Association Annual Conference 30 th March 2005 University of Derby
Mar 28, 2015
Lima’s Slums:Problems or Solutions?
Professor Bill Chambers
Liverpool Hope University
President
Geographical Association
Annual Conference 30th March 2005
University of Derby
Lecture Structure
1. Peru
2. Migration
3. Housing in Lima
4. Growth of Lima
5. Progressive Development
6. Employment
7. Government Policies
8. Hope or Despair?
1. Peru
Source: www.politicalresources.net
Costa: The Atacama Desert
Peru and UK(World Bank 2004)
Characteristic Peru UK Population millions 27 59 Area million km2 1.28 0.25 Density p/km2 21 240 Infant mortality per 1000 30 5 GDP US$ billion 61 1800 Electricity kWh per capita 645 5495 Fertilizer kg/ha arable land 1 200 % urban 74 90
PeruThree Zones
CostaAtacama Desert (driest in the world)
SierraAndes (2nd highest mountains in world)
SelvaAmazon (largest tropical rainforest in world)
Source: Coleccion Huascaran, Lima
Sierra: The Andes
Selva: The Amazon Basin
Peru: Population by Region
Region Area % 1876 2001
Costa 11 24 53
Sierra 26 75 36
Selva 63 1 11
2. Migration
Primacy of Lima:‘the head of a giant on the body of a
dwarf’
Characteristic Fact % Peru’s population 25 Size compared with 2nd city 11x % financial transactions 95 % electricity consumption 75 % doctors 66 % factories employing >5 people 70
29
Reasons for Primacy
• capital city (work, culture, civilisation)
• largest port (Callao)
• traditional home of Vice-Roy in Colonial
Migration
• City centre v Paisanos• 40% Costa • 50% Andes• mainly central-
southern Andes• young/ambitious• earthquakes
• rural poverty• land tenure in Andes• infant mortality• guerrillas• cocaine• El Nino • modernisation of coast
Source: Children in Peru, Peru Support Unit 1991
3. Housing in Lima
Callejon
Housing for Lima PoorSlums/turgurios and Squatter settlements
• alleys & tenements (callejones) 64%• workers’ housing 20% • decaying mansions 11%• city plots (corralones) 5%
• government projects• private sector • squatter settlements (barriadas)
Squatter Settlements
• Barriadas
• Urbanizaciones Populares
• Urbanisationes Marginales
• Pueblos Jovenes
• Asentiamentos Humanos
Barriadas
• A residential community
• formed by low income families in which the
• houses are constructed in large measure by the residents themselves and
• which are generally but not exclusively formed illegally.
(Collins 1975)
4. Growth of Lima
Lima Population Growth
Year Population
1941 598000
1945 645000
1961 1850000
1972 3330000
1981 4600000
1990 7000000
2005 8187000
Source:
J. Matos Mar 1977Las Barriadas de Lima 1957
Source:
J. Matos Mar 1977Las Barriadas de Lima 1967
Source:
J. Matos Mar 1977Las Barriadas de Lima 1977
San CristobalCentro cerro
Rio Rimac floodplain : Carmen de la Legua and San Martin de Porres 1965
my house
Comas 16-3-1945
Andes foothills
Comas 1965
my house
Southern Atacama desert: Tupac Amaru
Geographical distributionunoccupied, state or church or absentee landlord owned
Location Decade Example
Inner City infill 1920s-1930s Mendocita, Matute
Central Cerros 1940s El Agustino, San Cosme
Rio Rimac floodplain 1940s-1950s Carmen de la Legua
Andes foothills 1950s-1960s Comas, El Ermitano
Southern Atacama desert 1970s-1980s Villa el Salvador, Tupac Amaru
Margins, infill, extension 1980-present Los Olivos
East Cone 1990-present San Juan de Lurigancho
The Invasion
• After several years residence
• Pay to join invasion committee
• Planned by architects
• Holy Days, National Holidays, Public Holidays, weekends, government crisis
• Appeal to patriotism or religiosity of nation or landlords
5. Progressive Development(Consolidation)
(Positive Adaptation)
Progressive Development
The gradual development of • housing • community • utilities• employment.
Depends on • finance • health • motivation • priorities • government policy
Progressive Development of Homes
• chosa (matting hut)
• peripheral wall
• internal walls
• concrete roof
• second floor
• more
chosas
Chosa, foundations and peripheral wall
Chosa, shop and peripheral wall
Chosa, peripheral wall from casa noble
Wood
Water cylinder
cement bag
Roofing: tiles, iron, electricity tubes
Roofing concreting
Casa noble Carmen de la Legua 1965
Progressive Development(after Turner 1967)
Year Homes Water Energy Education Shops Roads
1-2 chosa drums
tankers
kerosene private nursery
market
stalls
bars
dust
4-5 walls temporary roof
stand pipe
generator primary schools
chemist
cinema
cafes
compact
10-12 concrete roof
1st floor
piped mains secondary stationersbakers
garage
surfaced lights
20-40 2,3, storeys
subletting
mains college
university
malls
industry
restaurant
dual carriage
Moving from Carmen de la Legua to Comas
Carmen de la Legua 1965 view of my house
Carmen de la Legua 1982 view of my house
Carmen de la Legua 2003 view of home
Carmen de la Legua 1965
Carmen de la Legua 1982
Carmen de la Legua 2003
By 1974 its transformation into an urban barrio was almost complete – paved roads, uniform lotes, water and electrical services, urban style houses constructed with permanent materials, and a central plaza around which stood municipal buildings, a movie theatre, and a church all were
established.’ (Lobo 1982 p 42)
Town Hall Carmen de la Legua 2003
Comas 1965 view left from front door
Comas 1982 view left from front door
Comas 2003 view left from front door
Comas Avenida Tupac Amaru 1965
Comas Avenida Tupac Amaru 1982
Comas Avenida Tupac Amaru 2003
Maria: Restaurante El Once 1965 and Salon de Belleza 1983 Comas
Comas private sector housing
2003
6. Employment
Ambulante selling tobacco, chewing gum, sweets
Open air office
domestica
Mobile furniture store
Julio and Helsomina(Susan Lobo 1982)
1969• Belt factory (J)• Tailor (J)• Kerosene• Metal recycling• Vegetables at market• Wool balls• Brick recycling• Guinea pigs• Chickens• Chicha• TV
1974• Belt factory• Front of house store• Beer• Zappo• Ducks• Chicken• Goats• Sheep• Wool• Refrigerator• Typewriter (daughter)• Electric repair (son)
• Job +
• Overtime +
• Fringe benefits +
• Part time jobs (cachuelas) +
• Reciprocity: exchange labour for goods +
• Reciprocity: exchange labour for labour
• Varied and flexible repertoire
INCOME =
Employment: informal & formalInformal
• housefront stores
• car cleaning
• domestics
• ambulantes
• bootblacks
• seamstresses
• artisans repair and creation
Formal
• wages
• social security
• drivers
• Builders
• waiters
• clerks
• shop assistants
• factory workers
7. Government Policies
Government Policies
• Do nothing • Eradicate: bulldoze, burn• Contain: Law• Prevent: planning, municipal housing• Facilitate: site & service, credit, technical,
improve & incorporate• Correct: remodel, relocate
8. Hope or Despair?
Problem or Solution?
The Informal Approach
Advantages
• Cheaper• Non-monetary input• Early escape from
slums• Added value to land• Stimulated
construction and service industries
Disadvantages
• Slow• Poor conditions• Low quality• Uneconomic use of
space & resources
Lima’s barriadas Why so successful?
(John Turner 2004)
• When dwellers control the major decisions and
• are free to make use of their own contributions in the design, construction or management of their housing,
• both this process and the environment produced stimulate individual and social well-being.
Lima’s barriadas Why so successful?
(Susan Lobo 1992)
Positive adaptation• Build a community (material and spiritual)• Accomplish goals• View themselves and their future positively
Through• Kinship and paisanos• Alliances and compadrazgo• Control: migration & house construction• Flexibility
References
• http://comasweb.com• Dietz, H. 1998 Urban Poverty, Political Participation and the
State: Lima 1970-1990. University of Pittsburgh Press• Gilbert, A. 1994 The Latin American City. Latin America
Bureau. • Lloyd, P. 1979 Slums of Hope? Pelican.• Lloyd, P. 1980 The ‘Young Towns’ of Lima. Cambridge
University Press.• Lobo, S. 1982 A House of My Own. University of Arizona Press.• Morrish, M. 1984 Squatter Settlement in the Third World.
Geography 16-19. Longman.• Smith, C.T. 1988 Population and Development in Peru. John
Murray.