Resplendent metropolises of South America — São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Lima — are cultural and economic luminaries. But behind their colorful façades, they share a challenge: urbanization. These cities have contended with a population explosion that has taxed housing supplies, disrupted urban planning and increased inequality.
São Paulo is the ultimate city of extremes, urban sprawl. The population has increased, driving constant demand for housing. And as wealthy neighborhoods spread, over a third of the 11 million people in São Paulo live in favelas — makeshift settlements that often lack even the most basic urban infrastructure, such as running water or sewage systems or paved roads. Other initiatives, like Minha Casa Minha Vida, have sought to expand the availability of affordable housing to meet the crisis. But critics say the developments are often located far from urban job centers, exacerbating poor families’ long commutes and deepening social divides.
Urban planning in São Paulo, too, lags behind growth. Public transit systems are extensive, but inadequate for the needs of a growing city. Traffic jams are commonplace, and the exhaust fumes greatly reduce air quality. The city’s green spaces, essential for mitigating urban heat and providing recreation, are giving way to relentless construction, leaving neighborhoods bereft of relief from the concrete jungle.
In Buenos Aires, the challenges come in somewhat different form. The housing crisis is characterized by rising rents and property prices become increasingly unaffordable in central areas. Villas miseria — shantytowns on the city’s outskirts — and newer ones continue to spread as poorer families are forced out of downtown neighborhoods. Gentrification projects, like the revitalization of Puerto Madero, have been praised for beautifying blighted sections of Buenos Aires but criticized for serving mainly affluent residents.
To many, such projects seem out of touch with the needs of the wider population and are widening a gap between the city’s well-heeled and working-class residents. Public transit plans have moved slowly, and been woefully underfunded, leaving much of the city relying on overcrowded and crumbling buses.
Lima has its own complications, which have been driven by geography and patches of infrastructure deficits. Hemmed in by the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, the city’s growth is limited. However, informal settlements on the outskirts are expanding rapidly, often without basic services. Further complicating matters, Lima is susceptible to earthquakes, and many homes are poorly constructed, with no real chance of surviving a major quake.
The city’s planning looks, at best, piecemeal. Wealthy districts with modern amenities rub shoulders uncomfortably with sprawling slums, and the visual and social contrast is jarring. Housing projects have been announced, but red tape and graft have stalled many of them, leaving residents stuck in limbo.
Although the specifics vary from city to city, the broad challenges are eerily similar. Unregulated urbanization exacerbates inequality, divides communities, and puts tremendous pressure on infrastructure. Tackling these crises will require bold leadership, visionary policy, and significant investment in public services. And without definitive action, the dreams of millions who come to these cities in search of opportunity stand to be engulfed by the chaos of unplanned growth.
