Lima Cómo Vamos
The Pitch
Ocupa tu Calle partnered with community members (especially women, children and other vulnerable populations), local governments and NGOs to create and revitalize urban public spaces in Peru and across Latin America.
The Problem
Urban inequality is widespread in Latin America. Public spaces are often unmaintained, not well-designed for women and children and especially scarce in low-income neighborhoods. In addition, attempts to privatize and sell public spaces in Latin America to developers are on the rise.
The Process
- Promoted small-scale and low-cost urban interventions to improve public spaces in Lima and Chiclayo
- Worked with 50+ strategic partners to facilitate collaborative work between local governments, academic institutions, the private sector and civil society
- Developed the Ocupa Tu Calle Toolbox and Urban Intervention Guidelines for Latin America with UN-Habitat and Avina to make information about the project available to the public (including its methodology, key concepts, urban interventions, design and stakeholder trainings)
- Created a youth volunteering network to engage young residents in project development and implementation
- Partnered with community organizations to design public spaces with and for children
- Hosts an annual conference that brings 500 people together to discuss future projects, share knowledge and spread the impact of their work and ideas
The Impact
- Introduced 25 improvements to public spaces in Lima and Chiclayo, including the creation of parklets and transformation of parking lots into public spaces
- Benefitted 500,000 people in Lima
- Made new public spaces widely accessible for previously excluded residents by working with residents to design them
- Supported women to learn how to organize their communities and advocate for change
- Helped to divert waste from the landfill by using recycled materials
- Encouraged institutional adoption of public space management, making its improvements long-term: Four municipalities now include public spaces in their policies
