Empowering Women Builders in Lima, Peru
Empowering Women Builders in Lima, Peru
Block by Block partnered with UN-Habitat and local organizations to empower women builders in creating four green public spaces across Lima.
Empowering Women Builders in Lima, Peru
Lima, Peru
Project types: Public spaces
Collaborators: UN-Habitat, Fundación AVINA, Ocupa tu Calle, Mano a Mano
Tags: accessibility, children and youth, climate change and environmental sustainability, economic opportunity, empowering women and girls, social inclusion and human rights
Background
In Peru, the intersection of climate change impacts and rapid urbanization has created significant challenges including poverty, inadequate public spaces, and social disparities. In Lima's La Ensenada and Pamplona Alta districts, several pedestrian pathways crucial for local mobility are located on vulnerable hillsides, making them dangerous and prone to landslides. Many public spaces remained underutilized due to informal parking, drug activity, or simply lack of safe, accessible infrastructure for women, children, and elderly residents.
The Women Builders Initiative emerged to address these interconnected challenges through community-driven urban regeneration, recognizing that local women—many of them single mothers who became unemployed during the pandemic—possessed invaluable knowledge of local conditions and building techniques suitable for hillside areas.
Building Participation and Empowerment, Block by Block
The initiative engaged over 135 women and 62 men across four locations: Pasaje El Rosario and Pasaje Los Álamos in La Ensenada neighborhood in Puente Piedra, and Parque El Óvalo and Parque el Remanente in Pamplona Alta neighborhood in San Juan de Miraflores. Participants used the Block by Block Methodology with Minecraft for collaborative design.
📸: @ Mano a Mano
The project was part of UN-Habitat's Her City initiative, which supports urban development through the active participation of girls and women in planning and designing public spaces. This process incorporated digital tools including Minecraft as part of the Block by Block Methodology and Inhabit Place, a mobile application for assessing public space quality. Through collaborative workshops, 30 neighbors were trained and empowered to lead the transformation of their communities, with women builders sharing their expertise through peer-to-peer learning sessions. The approach recognized that empowering women in urban development creates ripple effects, fostering economic independence while enabling them to actively shape their cities according to community needs.
Involving the whole community 📸: Ocupa tu Calle
Progress
The initiative successfully created four green public spaces that benefit over 40,000 people while demonstrating the power of women-led community development. The collaborative process resulted in the construction of passageways, retaining walls, children's play equipment, and urban gardens that directly address local priorities including safety, food security, and accessibility.
In Pamplona Alta, the transformation of El Óvalo Park includes games for children and urban gardens benefiting more than 3,000 residents.
“We believe that having recovered the park is a sign that we are making a change that will benefit the boys and girls who will now have a space to play and learn about caring for plants. It was a very powerful experience to be able to participate in the design of the park. ”
In La Ensenada, 15 women leaders from Puente Piedra led the creation of Pasaje El Rosario and Pasaje Los Álamos, which include spaces for rest and urban gardens for the direct benefit of 2,500 residents, particularly children who can now move more safely to and from their schools.
Beyond immediate infrastructure improvements, the initiative has fostered economic independence for participating women while strengthening community networks. The project's legacy extends through the launch of the Pact for Public Spaces, advocating for inclusive and sustainable urban policies across Latin America.
The transformation demonstrates how community-driven development can address multiple challenges, from climate resilience and food security to women's empowerment and child safety, while creating a model for replication across Lima and throughout Peru.