The transformation of Medellin into a ‘City for Life:’ insights for healthy cities

ABSTRACT

Medellín, Colombia, managed to turn itself from one of the most violent and unequal places in the world to a more safe, inclusive and healthy city. Medellín is recognized for this transformation and its innovative city planning, design and development. This paper highlights some of the key drivers behind Medellín’s transformation and the lessons these factors have for other cities seeking to reduce inequality and violence. We combine one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders involved in Medellín’s transformation, with reviews of archival documents, media content analyses and ideas revealed during a six-month seminar on the transformation of Medellín held at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2017. We suggest that a set of inter-related factors, from civil society mobilization, to urban governance reforms to public space investments in the poorest neighborhoods, combined to help transform Medellín’s built, social, natural, political and economic environments. While the transformation of Medellín may be ongoing and incomplete, we suggest that the factors analyzed here offer insights for planning more healthy and equitable cities globally.

KEYWORDS:

• Medellín
• Colombia
• violence
• governance
• planning
• healthy cities
• equity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Mayors included: Luis Pérez Gutiérrez, 2000–2003 from Partido Liberal; Sergio Fajardo, 2004–2007 and Alonso Salazar, 2008–2011 from Movimiento Ciudadano and Aníbal Gaviria, 2012–2015 from Partido Liberal and a broad coalition with other parties, including citizen movements.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jason Corburn

Jason Corburn is a Professor in the School of Public Health & the Department of City & Regional Planning, at the University of California, Berkeley. He also Directs the Institute of Urban & Regional Development and the Centre for Global Healthy Cities at UC Berkeley.

Marisa Ruiz Asari

Marisa Ruiz Asari is a Research Assistant at the Institute of Urban & Regional Development, University of California, Berkeley.

Jorge Pérez Jamarillo

Jorge Pérez Jamarillo is the Dean, Faculty of Architecture, Universidad Santo Tomas, Medellín, Colombia. He is also the former Director of Planning for the City of Medellín.

Aníbal Gaviria

Aníbal Gaviria served as Mayor of Medellín, Colombia from 2012 to 2015 and the Governor of the Department of Antioquia, Colombia, from 2004–2007.