Innovation Follows Crisis: Medellín

Innovation Follows Crisis: Medellín

Medellin presents a unique example of how a city has bounced back from notorious violence to success. A crisis that brought the city chaos, the horror of armed conflict and struggle, but also the cocaine money to build the skyline of empty towers and endless slums.

The city of Medellin stands for Urbanismo Social. A process-oriented, experimental movement of bold, charismatic political leadership, paired with a new generation of young entrepreneurs, architects and urban designers who realize a strategy of inserting in the city is rapidly growing fabric, sports and cultural buildings like Memory House, libraries, but also public spaces and new park and river access.
A new Metro-line is running the lengths of the city. Cable-Car systems and escalators are climbing up the lush tropical valley to reach the slum zones with the settlements of the formerly most vulnerable population. We will visit together with our research partners a Medellin which is a world capi- tal for urban innovation. Improvements through architecture have helped tackle security, develop the economy and improve its citizen’s education, success and quality of life.