Invaded city

Land invasions in Cuzco, Peru, have significantly shaped urban development through spontaneous occupancy of expropriated hacienda lands. These informal settlements gradually became regulated, demonstrating how administrative planning often reacts to existing land takeovers rather than preempting them. Residents invest substantial effort into building homes and neighborhoods, despite fluctuating policies and bureaucratic challenges. The study reveals that state permissiveness toward illegal occupancy is a precarious yet sought-after outcome, not guaranteed. This approach contrasts with traditional agrarian reform strategies but shares similar dynamics of mobilization and land acquisition.

Lund, S. (2011). Invaded city. Focaal, 2011(61), 33–45. https://doi.org/10.3167/fcl.2011.610103