General Information
Lima is the capital of Peru. It is also the largest city in the country.
In the 1940’s, 60% of the population of the country lived in the rural Andean regions.
Now 73% of the population lives in the cities, the majority of them on the coast.City-planning
The Spanish founded Lima in 1535 before the Laws of the Indies, guidelines providing specifications of how settlements were to be arranged, were established. However, it was still planned in almost the same manner for which the Laws would have called. The city had a grid pattern, streets radiating from the central plaza, and important buildings and places of residence built around the central plaza. It was located near the Rímac River, which was used for waste removal and irrigation. Lima often experienced tremors (1630 and 1687 were especially bad for earthquakes) and, therefore, could not build higher than two stories.
Late in 1600s, diagonal roads made it easier to navigate through the city and small plazas improved the city’s beauty. Many wealthy and powerful people flocked to the region raising the population to 30,000 people and making it a cosmopolitan center. The city was considered the capital of Spanish-American high culture. However, many inhabitants lived in poverty with constant threat of unsanitary conditions and epidemics. These fears of unsanitary conditions are still held today with the great deal of waste in water supplies and air pollution.
Transportation
Another series of earthquakes in 1746 caused major damage, destroying many buildings. After the destruction of the city walls towards the end of the 19th century, many changes were made regarding the infrastructure of the city. A beltway was built along the demolished walls, more bridges were constructed over the Rímac River, and avenues and railroads were built to the coast. These all allowed for more efficient travel and caused many upper-class suburbs to arise along the coast. Within the city trolleys, bicycles, and cars provided most of the transportation.
Today, however, the transportation of the city is causing a great deal of air pollution, a serious problem within the region. Everyday the people of the city breathe in large amounts of airborne particulates and various contaminants. About 6,000 deaths per year are attributed to the inhalation of air pollution within the city. The National Environmental Council estimates that about 8.5 million public transport and 2 million private transport trips are made in one day in the city.
Industrialization
At the turn of the 20th century, continued population growth, agricultural stagnation, and economic injustice made life nearly impossible in the rural areas of Peru. This forced many to seek refuge in Lima and look for a job in industry. Most of the industrial area was located in the region northwestward to the port of Callao, while small industry and the working-class sought out housing to the east. By the 1960s Lima had become fully industrialized. With the over-crowding of the city as a result of the industrial movement, the impoverished were forced to move to desert regions on the outskirts of the city and stay in shantytowns.
The unexpected growth occurring is causing dangerous environmental deterioration, hurting most notably the city’s air and water. Lima’s location in the desert region makes any river or water source (the Rímac, Chillón, and Lurín rivers) vital to survival. However, they are being severely polluted by runoff from mining and agriculture, and are receiving residential and industrial waste from the city. Nearly 500,000 residents are without water service and 15% of Limeños do not have sewer service. As the spread of urban life continues, green space and wetlands are taken away effecting the climate of the area.