Toward a new normal with less urban inequality in Peru

Toward a New Normal with Less Urban Inequality is a petition addressed to the various levels of the Peruvian government –the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Provincial Municipalities, Ministries, District Municipalities, and Regional Governments—that aims to draw attention to and denounce the current situation facing the country's cities. Through this document, the signatories express their concern and call for priority and structural actions to improve the living conditions of all citizens in Peru.

The petition outlines the need for concrete and immediate measures to address the current emergency stemming from the pandemic while simultaneously initiating the deep structural changes the country has historically demanded. The goal is to build a system that leverages the potential and resources of each region across economic, productive, social, cultural, and environmental spheres. Applying a territorial approach, this system would strengthen the integration and decentralization processes the country needs, helping to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of the crisis.

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  Manifesto for the Reorganization of the City After COVID-19

The pandemic is highlighting the enormous inequality in Peru and the precarious conditions in which most Peruvians live: without quality access to water and sanitation; in overcrowded and precarious housing, lacking adequate public spaces and with insufficient green areas; without job security; with low educational levels; with a severely weakened healthcare system; and enormous limitations in transportation and accessibility. This demonstrates that we are far from being a nation with equal conditions and opportunities for all.

Through this document, the signatories call for profound changes in urban organization to establish an effective "national system of urban centers." This system should drive a diversified and decentralized economy and facilitate a transition from the state of emergency to a new normal with less inequality in Peru's cities. To achieve this, the following urgent measures are proposed:

1.  Approve a Sustainable Urban Development Law and a Land Law, incorporating management tools to reduce inequality and address climate change in our cities through an intercultural lens, based on an open debate with academia and social organizations.

2. Ensure that civil society has direct and active participation in the formulation and review of urban plans at the district, provincial, and metropolitan levels across all regions of the country.

3. Establish "Territorial Management Units" (UTGs), new geographical boundaries coordinated with political-administrative divisions for strategic planning, management, and risk mitigation to address territorial and public investment fragmentation.  Form management alliances between citizens and local governments to promote a program for the re-empowerment, coordination, and institutionalization of grassroots organizations, in harmony with rural areas and natural ecosystems, backed by technical support commissions ("Rural and Urban Marginal Service") and in partnership with professional associations and universities.

4. Propose an urban policy that also frames the housing policy, reducing reliance on the subsidy system which has failed to solve the issue. Boost investment in social housing beyond private interests by proposing: (1) new sustainable and inclusive urban projects in strategic and suitable expansion areas, supported by programs for access to serviced land,  (2) an urban densification program to utilize the vertical space (air rights) of previously regularized housing, modifying the regulations of the "Techo Propio" (Own Roof) Subsidy - Construction on Own Site, to quickly reduce the housing deficit, decrease overcrowding, and reactivate the micro and small construction sector, which will generate jobs, and (3) renovation in historic districts and the construction of affordable housing in the centers of Peru's main cities.

5. Restart the execution of affordable water and sanitation projects in urban areas with regularized land titles, prioritizing coverage expansion, rehabilitation, and infrastructure network improvements throughout Peru, addressing underserviced areas and equipping expansion zones with social housing.

6. Restructure the Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program (PMIB) of the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation (MVCS) so that—in coordination with municipalities and neighborhood organizations, and equipped with sufficient financial resources—it promotes and finances Comprehensive Urban Projects (PUI) within the newly proposed UTGs. This should be aligned with existing Development Plans and prioritize social housing and urban densification projects. Each PUI must urgently implement a multi-use "Neighborhood Services Hub" (community kitchen, library, community center, remote workspace, daycare, basic health support, community gardens, etc.) managed by the community and its representatives.

7. Implement a Public Space System that prioritizes vulnerable populations through a gender perspective, linking multisectoral territorial management strategies ("Childhood First," "Safe Neighborhood," etc.). Enact Public Space Protection Law No. 1312, which was already approved by the Congressional Decentralization Commission in May 2018.

8. During the emergency and reopening phases, promote a Mobile Markets and Services Program to spatially and administratively reorganize food markets and health services. Utilize existing public spaces and neighborhood-scale community facilities (streets, schools, sports fields) to meet the population's needs.

9. Promote a Comprehensive National Urban Transport Reform, featuring sustainable, multimodal, and inclusive mobility strategies (pedestrian pathways, wide sidewalks, bike lanes, and electromobility), prioritizing mass public transit with coverage, frequency, and accessibility for the last 700 meters of travel. Subsidize the formalization of the transit system, reducing informality and eliminating overlapping routes (as seen in Lima and other provinces).  Reject any law that is not framed within a comprehensive policy (e.g., the law to formalize shared taxis [colectivos]).                                       

10. Declare urban valleys, coastal loma ecosystems, and wetlands as protected, non-buildable areas, and create a fund to promote urban and peri-urban agriculture to generate local employment. Promote projects that strengthen and protect the ecological infrastructure of cities, and boost the campaign "10 Million Urban Trees by 2021" (Minagri, Serfor, etc.) under a green cities approach. 

11. Stiffen criminal penalties against mayors and officials who grant or promote land rights outside the regulatory framework (such as approvals in high-risk or protected zones). Empower community organizations with urban planning and regulatory knowledge so they can perform a monitoring and oversight role.

This crisis forces us into a structural rethinking of the attitudes and policies with which cities have been governed. We must transition to a system of safe and just cities, with efficiently integrated urban systems co-produced democratically with communities. All of this effort must be directed toward building cities where all citizens have the same opportunities to achieve their dreams and comprehensive well-being. It is about a new social contract between society and its authorities.

You can access the full version and sign the petition through the following link.

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