Integrative Urban Fabric: Undoing Socio-Cultural Borders in Informal Streets

Abstract

Lima is a city of social and physical borders dividing the upper and lower social classes. This was shaped in the 1950s when waves of rural migration disrupted the social structure and as a result, the rejected lower class created informal jobs. Today, migrants arrive from Venezuela trying to find a place in these informal streets. Formed in a transition period by individual migrants for economic benefit, these streets do not offer an environment for social interaction. This thesis will use informality as a tool to create pockets of social acceptance in the streets, to create an inviting setting for the migrant population. In a market where the formal and informal meet, the blurring of their distinction will be used as method to show the potential of the urban fabric to connect migrants to Lima both economically and socially, creating a sense of community for the benefit of both populations.