Residents Perceptions of Sustainable Urban Development: A Comparative Study Between Lima, Medellín, and San Salvador

ABSTRACT

Urban sustainability assessments in Latin America have relied predominantly on institutional and technical indicators, leaving resident perceptions—a critical dimension of policy legitimacy—systematically underexplored. This study addresses that gap through a comparative analysis of how residents perceive sustainable urban development across three Latin American cities: Lima (Peru), Medellín (Colombia), and San Salvador (El Salvador). Drawing on 1209 structured surveys administered in 2025 (431 in San Salvador, 390 in Lima, 388 in Medellín), the study measures six dimensions of perceived urban sustainability: urban growth trends, strategic direction of development, visibility of sustainability initiatives, expectations of self‐sustainability, equity in the distribution of public space, and fairness of urban development policies. Internal consistency was confirmed across all three samples (Cronbach's α  = 0.751–0.772). Findings reveal a consistent legitimacy gap: while majorities acknowledge ongoing urban growth (52.6%–74.0%), no city reaches majority endorsement of its development direction (30.0%–40.7%). Recognition of sustainable actions remains below 50% even in Medellín, and equity dimensions produce the most critical evaluations across all three cities with 49%–67% of residents disagreeing that public spaces and urban policies benefit all sectors equally. Self‐sustainability expectations converge aspirationally across cities despite stark institutional differences, suggesting that public optimism is fragile rather than performance‐based. The study concludes that territorial equity, participatory planning, and the visible decentralization of sustainability interventions are indispensable conditions for building the social legitimacy necessary to advance genuinely inclusive urban development in the Latin American region. These findings contribute an empirically grounded, resident‐centered perspective to the SDG 11 agenda.