Medellin transforms image from drug trafficking city to innovator

Insight

Medellin, Colombia has gone having notoriety as the home of Pablo Escobar to the “Innovative City of the Year.” The city’s makeover has been largely attributed to innovative urbanism that brings large-scale public works to the city’s underprivileged neighborhoods.

Now Medellin is about to embark on its largest and costliest project yet. CCTV America’s Michelle Begue provided insight into the city’s River Park Project.

More details:

  • The parks in the Medellin River Project aim to transform the surroundings of the river with public spaces to bring about urban renewal.
  • The first phase involves burying 392 meters (1,286 feet) of highway along the river to build parks on top -closing the city’s main highway for 11 months.
  • However the project remains controversial to some low-income communities that fear displacement.

Alejandro Echeverri on the city of Medellin’s transformation
Is Medellin really a model for the world? And how important was it to include community groups throughout the process? CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke to Alejandro Echeverri, the former director of Medellin’s Urban Projects.