Arequipa unveils expanded metropolitan development plan with metro and cable proposals

Arequipa's municipal Institute of Planning (IMPLA) presented the draft of a new Metropolitan Development Plan (PDM), slated for final delivery in July. The document grew from around 100 to roughly 500 pages after incorporating about two thousand public observations, updating maps, zoning, and adding new urban components.

Key proposals include reserving a corridor for a future metro line, installing cable‑car systems in high‑altitude districts, building a light‑rail line, extending the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network, and creating new arterial roads. The plan also expands environmental and heritage protection, updates geological and geomorphological risk maps, and introduces measures to boost urban resilience against climate change.

Critics, such as Carlos Rivas of the Actuemos Perú association, argue that a metro would be financially unviable, questioning whether the state or users could cover the high construction and maintenance costs. He suggests prioritising lower‑cost alternatives like BRT, as used in cities such as Bogotá, and emphasizing the plan’s ability to protect landscape areas and guide orderly growth.