ABSTRACT

Since the mid-1950s, rapid urbanization processes have skewed urban development in Peruvian cities. On one hand, since the Peruvian state was hardly involved in housing supply, the 'formal' development process was led by the real-estate market and mainly based on land speculation. On the other hand, stimulated by permissive national policies, the massive and 'informal' development of peripheral areas was led by poor settlers. The Ministry of Housing was reestablished and the government elaborated a new housing policy according to the recommendations of the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, following the principles of Chilean housing policy. During the 1960s and 1970s, barriadas expanded hugely and became the most common form of urban development in Lima and other Peruvian cities, although the commitment of successive governments towards technical assistance varied greatly. In several Latin American countries, rapid urbanization resulted from a huge migration stream due in part to processes related to the demographic transition.