Currently, apart from being the capital of Peru, it is also the political, cultural and financial center highlighting the other parts of the country, since its metropolitan area comprises 30% of the total population.

Lima residents in the city center

In the 20th century the historic center of Lima underwent a modernization and its population growth finally came to deteriorate in the late 70’s and 80’s when the traffic did damage the image of the city and the tranquility of pedestrians.

Original Pizarro’s Chess Board

To avoid some of this deterioration and promote recovery by the Peruvian authorities, UNESCO declared World Heritage the Convent of San Francisco in 1988 and three years later included the entire area of the historic center of Lima thanks to the originality of its plane and more than 600 monuments that one can find in what is known as Pizarro’s Chess Board. From this change of mind at the time of Alberto Andrade Carmona, Lima city experienced the recovery of all its architectural heritage, reducing crime and it was the key element for the start of the recuperation of a more walkable capital and with less pollution for the citizens.

Currently the corporate image of Lima is being developed, as the authorities are seeing the opportunities that are created to attract international investment in projects that are in progress, and what is on the table is, on the one hand, turn away from the own brand Peru, already exploited and reporting directly to the central government, and also, as was indicated by Armando Andrade, President of Interbrand and Pragma group and Head of the future brand-Lima  it is wanted  that “Citizens of Lima to stand and do Lima the city Peruvians and the world deserves”, also clarifying that it has to ward off the gastronomic clichés that has labeled the urban image and to focus on new more cross contemporary values.

PromPeru logo that includes all Peruvian cities

Meanwhile, the city of Lima grows in every way and also its outside promotion. Like the Olympic Games, the Pan American Games are a quadrennial sporting event but as its name suggests is held only with the participation of countries of the American continent. Has been held since Buenos Aires 1951 and in many cases it was a boost to global Olympic bids as it was Rio  in its celebration of the 2007 Pan American Games, a prelude to the Olympics 2016 in regard to facilities, events and receiving countries and athletes.

Recently it was held in Toronto (2015), but in the edition of 2019 in Lima is where we will see a massive change in the Peruvian capital.

It is important at this point to explain what this Master Plan 2019 is. The Lima city is adapting its entire vial, sport and hotel infrastructure to meet the challenge of the Pan American Games. Its main project in the sporting arena is the creation of a stadium for athletics, one for baseball, a velodrome and a new sports pavilion, and furthermore as it is logical in these projects, a large area of accommodation for sports teams and a medical area. These facilities will remain in the hands of the Peruvian population, as well as improving mass transit, that is comfortable and that gives confidence to national and international  visitors of this event.

Master Plan facilities

The spatial reorganization that involves a sporting event like this always has an impact which will benefit the long-term future of the city as well as its new urban image and identity, leading opportunities for integration, sustainability and urban improvement.

Thus, the main objective is incentive afterwards new program opportunities to strengthen this condition of urban space:

• A first-level sports infrastructure with an image and unique identity, linked to history and local culture.
• Green areas that are integrated into the city reassessing vacant and abandoned areas that Lima has now.
• Public spaces for social integration to help improve the quality of life of the surrounding neighborhoods.

To promote Lima brand and its Pan American Games it was presented a modern image that would help contextualize Peru with all its cultural background in the Latin American context.

Official Logo

The new logo is represented by Amancae flower that combines history, culture and tradition of the Pan American community with joy that surrounds the sport. The identity of the city is reflected in the colors and pistils that unite the Peruvian capital with the rest of the participating nations in the Americas. Its creation comes from the hand of the artists Juan Diego Sanz and Jorge Luis Zarate.

Specifically, it asserts that Amancae flower represents three athletes with open arms and the three Americas with the deepest and most remote identity of the ancient city of Lima.

Lima and the challenges of sustainable growth

The Pan American Games will be ultimately much more than a whitewash of the city. It is not only the creation of a differentiated own urban identity of the rest of the country, but it is improving a city that will be very influential, as an emerging capital that it is, in the next decade and that will target Lima residents in the new approach to its urban development.

Since then this town of 30,000 people passed within a few decades to become an industrial and financial megacity with a population of over 12 million.

Comparison of Shenzhen in two decadess

Shenzhen currently has the highest skyscrapers and shopping malls in an excruciating growth that often even implies having no space for the remaining terms of the construction of buildings and undergrown. Most appliances sold around the world are assembled in Shenzhen and its province of Guangdong, and the area also has been having a strong international reputation as a magnet for technology entrepreneurs and has been designated as one of the hubs of start-ups that will stand out in the future.

However, we see the pros and cons of this growth. Everything has been due to the designation at the time of Shenzhen as the first Special Economic Zone involving preferential treatment to foreign investment and it gave as a result, and as symbolism of the explosive development of China in the middle of globalization, a series of collateral injuries such as overcrowding, corruption, a polluted environment and the real lack of transparency in municipal law and labor rights of many of its workers, who produce our goods for western countries.

Going a few thousand inhabitants to more than 10 million has led to certain demographic changes that could explain the philosophy of this city and its own urban brand. Naturally, in this short period of time, the migrant population is 99%, very forwarder and complicated to measure accurately to official statistics, which hampers decision making and how to provide public services.

Skyscrapers de Shenzhen

Years ago, in 1989, before the arrival of the last decade of the twentieth century, Shenzhen aspired to grow a lot and from their 30 thousand go to a million over those ten years, but growth expectations multiplied exponentially and all urban planning made in the medium term remained insufficient. The housing grew chaotically and villages were formed in the inner city, built by the newcomers farmers .

Evolution of the population in Shenzhen

A new multifunctional concept appears in this Asian megacity: apartments blocks become makeshift housing for work seekers who can spend short periods of time or stay in Shenzhen lifetime. Car parks become markets, abandoned factories become schools for children not registered and the arrival of new families does not stop, involving a superhuman effort  for the citizens who can not enjoy  the benefits of development or do it asymmetrically, in  one of the largest cities in the world.

The discussion Chinese authorities have now  in order to try to make Shenzhen a more livable city is or destroy these independent urban villages or restore them, as these “vibrant communities” were the soul to the whole city, they should be participants of the new process of transformation.

After decades of rapid urbanization, China is being aware of the impact for the future the urban boom of the past decades and finally, after almost 4 decades of frenetic growth, the office of urban policy was created to launch the guide of future development for cities.

China’s urban population rose from 20 to 57% and this boom made cities like Shenzhen to go over a core with small buildings to the merger of several sub-cities and towns, making also difficult internal communication between these urbanized areas without a car.

The new urban discipline includes some basic points to revitalize existing spaces and turn them into more sustainable areas:

1. Dense and narrow streets network: To improve the transport network, the ability to walk, and the social fabric of urban neighborhoods. This process will be done in part by breaking superblocks with narrower streets one-way.
2. Historic Preservation: To save what remains of the architectural heritage of the country and to preserve the historic architecture that differentiates a city from another.

Shenzhen contrasts

3. Expand public transport networks: Shenzhen must also continue to improve its public transport network to make it more efficient.
4. Increase public and green space: It seeks to create a more livable and healthy city.
5. Efficient and high quality construction: Buildings of Shenzhen and of many other cities have been built with low quality materials and are now obliged to use techniques more efficient for a environmentally beneficial result.
6. Urban growth boundaries and reducing expansion: Shenzhen has been the paradigmatic example of growth without measure and the new approach will involve putting a brake on urban sprawl to be more sustainable.

Shenzhen pollution Day: City Hall

The current goal of Shenzhen is to reduce the average annual air quality index from 38 to 35 over the next three years. Shenzhen ranks first in air quality among major cities in China, however, the city experienced a severe pollution throughout the 2000s.

Shenzhen has shown that sustainability can be compatible with growth. Incomes per capita of Shenzhen now exceed three times the national average, while the intensity of carbon emissions per unit of GDP is almost the lowest in the big cities of China. The consumption of petrol and diesel has continued to decline over the past two years.

Shenzhen citizens in a shopping street

It all depends on the intent of their leaders and the first steps we are seeing they are really taking effect: There are about 6,300 new energy vehicles – taxis and buses – on the street. Shenzhen also attaches importance to energy saving measures, for example, new buildings must have approved a plan of energy saving before construction.

There are signs of serious intent to turn Shenzhen into a city for its inhabitants, whether residents, visitors or workers. We hope that their fruits are collected in this new decade with sustainable urban development.

Partial view of Beirut and Mosque of Mohammed al-Amin

When images of the post-war are seen in Beirut, many damaged buildings, ruins of war and deserted streets are appreciated. Now after more than two decades of planning, development and reconstruction, Beirut still has buildings that recall those dark years surrounded by new buildings in this new period of development.

Proposal for reconstruction of an area of Beirut by Christian de Portzamparc

During the last years the efforts and resources that have been launched to rebuild the city center have been enormous. It is known as the Paris of the Middle East. Before the war, Beirut was the only city in the region that offered a wide spectrum of services and resources such as banking services, educational excellence and medical facilities and entertainment. During its golden age Lebanon attracted over 1.5 million visitors a year. Visitors come to see the archaeological heritage and a unique experience of urban leisure, Mediterranean attractions and mountain resorts. Today Lebanon is working hard to promote its assets and regain its strength as regional hub that receives leisure and business investment.

The Lebanon War that occurred between 1975 and 1990 left more than 150,000 dead and 200,000 wounded people. A quarter of the previous population was forced to emigrate and left the country in ruins, both buildings of the capital and major infrastructures. Urban warfare was the main feature of military operations in Lebanon. In this type of war, the struggle takes place in the streets and alleys, and moves from house to house, causing enormous human suffering. One early example was the famous “Battle of hotels“, when several militias are positioned in the high-rise hotels facing the sea that rose on the adjacent Muslim and Christian neighborhoods.

In the years of war, Beirut was divided along ideological and religious lines leading a new mental map of the city. The city was renamed East Beirut and West Beirut and it was divided by the Green Line, a demarcation extending from Martyrs’ Square in the historic center along the Avenue of Damascus to the south of the city. The Christian forces took control of East Beirut, while Muslim and Palestinian militias took charge of West Beirut.

As a result, they were segregated previously mixed areas and most of the Muslim population in the eastern sector was expelled, while Christians in West Beirut were replaced by the Shiites of southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

The Green Line divided tha vacated city in two

The Central District and areas flanking the demarcation line that once was commonplace for all Beirutis, became the main combat zone. And as a direct consequence sub-centers self developed in different parts of the city were created, which blocks civic interaction across Beirut.

These unplanned and uncontrolled developments were the direct result of anarchy in wartime. Today, there is a major challenge to the postwar planning aimed at reconnecting the city. The end of the war brought a physical opening of the city, but the line of demarcation was deeply rooted in the minds of Beirutis.

Clock Tower, downtown Beirut 

Beyond the enormous amount of physical destruction, there were many obstacles in the way of reconstruction, including the collapse of the Lebanese administration. By law the Beirut City Council gave the authority to create real estate companies to accelerate reconstruction in areas damaged by war.Companies would be responsible for preparing the ground for the final sale and implementation of the urban plan.

Rafiq Hariri, prime minister and billionaire, created the Lebanese Company for the Development and Reconstruction of Beirut Central District (Solidere) and became one of its largest shareholders. And in compensation to displaced residents they were granted shares in the corporation, which led to many protests because the social fabric of the area was fulminated.

Solidere, Rebuilt Beirut Central District

The clash between the guardians of cultural heritage and promoters of Solidere has marked all the reconstruction of Beirut, as entire sections of the central district were demolished and not always was possible to preserve historical monuments.

It is currently emphasizing the historical recognition to maintain the alignment of the original streets, but the reconstruction master plan still leaves some gaps by not specifying urban uses of new construction since the reactivation of the Central District was launched by the private sector and markets respond to economic, not social needs, which is seen in Beirut as a phenomenon of dubaization similar to other cities of the Middle East.

The reconstruction has to link with the goals of sustainable development and the involvement of civil society.

For the future of Beirut is key coexistence between the two communities

It focuses on architecture and design sets, although the challenge remains to create an inclusive urban fabric. The city center was once the Lebanese melting pot where people from all backgrounds developed their life. The Central District has become again in the public and social center of the country, plural and respectful of ethnicity, religion and socioeconomic status of its citizens and connecting this district with all adjacent areas.

Beirut Logo

Beirut urban identity has not been treated so far. The logo of Beirut is really tied to the Lebanese state. Lebanese flag with red stripes and cedar tree are clearly represented, although this one instead of being in the central area is crowning the logo and replaced by a Phoenician ship, reminiscent of the glorious of the first residents of this city and a door to the World.

Beirut needs a proposal examples of branding to finish forging three key areas in its socio-urban development:

• End up pacifying the capital of the country is essential for Lebanon to continue living in peace for the next decades, a prime example is to get that space of coexistence between Muslims, Christians and Druze in Beirut.
• Sustainable development to create a city. Beirut rebuilds raising foundations of the past, but with a future projection in the XXI century. It has to keep in mind the citizens, their quality of life and integrate abandoned war zones as genuine lungs in a city more livable.

Evolution of green zones in the center of Beirut after the war

• Back at the forefront of Middle East. The secular capital of the Arab world that always looked open, cosmopolitan and even influenced by Paris, has to return to give a message to the world of progress, culture and respect.

There is still much to work and after short periods of peace, Lebanon and Beirut have been drowned in the responsibility to meet the Syrian and Palestinian exodus, but with a good integration they are positive points in the social development.

The city branding of Beirut will be successful when the postcards from the past are only inspiration of the present and not the memory of better moments of other times. For this, the international community, the Arab League, the European Union and consequently neighboring Israel and Syria have to let it grow in peace.