ABSTRACT
While Peru has observed continuous economic growth and modernization in the present century, Peruvian cities have faced challenging situations for their population, for their social and cultural life, and integration in the short and long term. In Lima, several problems persist influencing the daily life of the city population: employment and income problems, poverty, institutional and legal constraints, as well as urban population congestion, air pollution, traffic problems, along with deficient greenspaces. This changing living context has influenced the different groups of Lima’s population. Main changes that families of Lima have adopted in order to make their city experience livable includes decisions about their residential location, consumption patterns, employment, income opportunities, as well as their access to free and healthy public spaces that may allow social and cultural integration.
The chapter is organized in sections: an overview of Lima city, the main economic characteristics and environmental issues recently influencing its population life, and some conclusions and public policy inferences.
