Urban regeneration of Medellin: an example of sustainability

Resea ch & expe imen a ion Rice ca e spe imen azione U ban egene a ion o Medellin. An example o sus ainabili y Ca men de Tomás Medina Depa men o U ban Planning and Te i o y Planning, Uni e si y o Se illa, ES Highligh s • The e is an in insic ela ionship be ween u banism and social wel a e. • The u ban chaos p omo es he appea ance o a eas lacking u baniza ion, in as uc u e and endowmen s. • The lack o minimum se ices makes hese a eas unhygienic o li e and ha c ime and ma ginali y g ow in hem. • The o ced egene a ion in he ci y has o con empla e he u ban and social pe spec i e, and hus becomes an example o sus ainabili y. The ci y o Medellin has su e ed a chao ic u ban g ow h since ea ly wen ie h cen u y, caused by he echoes o indus ializa ion su e ed in i s his o ical ab- ic and by he mig a ion o people om he coun yside o he ci y. As a conse- quence, he cen al a eas we e abandoned and nume ous pe iphe al pieces we e buil which d owned he adi ional ci y. In his way, he egula and o de ly o ig- inal ci y became composed mainly o disconnec ed pe iphe al issues, lacking in o ganiza ion, in as uc u es and minimum se ices, unhygienic ab ics wi h inhuman li ing condi ions on which delinquency and ma ginali y also g ew, be- coming he mos dange ous a eas o he ci y. The u gen solu ion o he p oblems unleashed b ough wi h i he ealiza ion o a se ies o u ban and social e o ms. The cons uc ion o a new way o anspo was a de ini i e agen in he sus ainable egene a ion o he ci y. A his poin we ha e he pu pose o his esea ch ha aims o highligh he ole o me o-cable in he p ocess o u ban egene a ion, ans o ming Medellín om being one o he mos dange ous ci ies in Colombia o an example o sus ainabili y. Recei ed: June 03, 2018 Re iewed: July 27, 2018 Accep ed: Augus 01, 2018 On line: Augus 30, 2018 A icle his o yAbs ac Copy igh 2018 Ca men de Tomás Medina Email: [email p o ec ed] ISSN online 2531-9906 | Open access a icle unde CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 In e na ional License UPLanD – Jou nal o U ban Planning, Landscape & en i onmen al Design, 3(1), 47-54 [2018] Keywo ds Sus ainabili y U ban deg ada ion U ban egene a ion Social ans o ma ion The Me ocable 48 Ca men de Tomás Medina UPLanD - Jou nal o U ban Planning, Landscape & En i onmen al Design, 3(1) h p://upland.i 1. In oduc ion Th oughou he las cen u y, he ci ies o Sou h Ame ica expe ienced a e iginous g ow h as a consequence o massi e mig a ion o he inhabi - an s o he coun yside o he ci y, and o he p o- cess o indus ializa ion su e ed in hei u ban is- sues. These e en s gene a ed a gene alized u ban chaos ha mani es ed i sel in he abandonmen o he cen al a eas and he cons uc ion o nume - ous pe iphe al pieces ha p e ending o be u ban we e a om i . The new pieces we e he an i he- sis o wha should be a sus ainable ci y, hey we e dispe sed, lacked o ganiza ion, in as uc u e and minimum se ices. The si ua ion desc ibed was agg a a ed in many places by he shape o i s e - i o y, which accele a ed e en mo e he massi e u baniza ion o he pe iphe al e i o y and he sa u a ion o he cen al issues. The issue is ha he u ban chaos ended up also un- leashing se ious social p oblems. The cen al a e- as we e obsole e, wi h a high a e o ma ginali y, deg aded by c ime, occupa ion o public space o by p ohibi ed uses. The pe iphe al a eas soon be- came he mos dange ous a eas o he ci y. Gi en his si ua ion a ose he need o seek solu ions ha aimed a u ban and social egene a ion in e en- ing in bo h he cen al and pe iphe al a eas. Bu he social and u ban p oblems should no be aced om di e en poin s o iew, bo h we e closely e- la ed and i was necessa y o look o a common way o ac ing. He nández Aja (2000) de ined u ban egene a ion as he se o ac ions applied o an u ban c isis a ea aimed a cu bing he dynamics and decline ac o s eac i a ing he local capaci y o ace u ban, social and economic changes. Wi h his wo ds he high- ligh ed he in insic ela ionship be ween u ban ans o ma ion, and he economic, demog aphic and social aspec s o i . On he o he hand, Jacobs, Cai ns and S ebel (2007, p.610) also spoke o he inhe en ela ionship be ween u ban and social ans o ma ion, making special e e ence o he leading ole o public spaces in i . They a i med ha i he inhabi an s o he obsole e zones we e made wi h squa es, eelings o p ope y would ha e gene a ed ha could´ e caused he imp o e- men o he socie y and he social in eg a ion. Cu en ly, egene a ion p ocesses a e conside ed as essen ial guidelines o building a sus ainable ci y model ha in eg a es economic, social and en i onmen al aspec s (Cas illo, Ma esanz, Se- illa and Sánchez, 2014). In he wo ds o Ba ón: “U ban sus ainabili y aims o educe po e y and imp o e in e gene a ional and equi y in o de o p opose imp o emen s in a b oad sense o he qual- i y o li e o he inhabi an s”(Ba ón, 2008) . In his sense, hese p ocesses a e ca ied ou by elo- ca ing ac i i ies, modi ying uses, o building new acili ies, ee spaces and in as uc u es, he las h ee elemen s would play a undamen al ole be- cause hey ensu e he cohe ence and in eg a ion o he a ea in ques ion, in he ci y. ONU Habi a (2013) ga e di e en guidelines o coun ies ha had o assimila e he s ong popula- ion g ow h, and s essed he impo ance o be ing on public spaces, equipmen and in as uc u es as undamen al ca alys s o u ban egene a ion, alluding o i s g ea capaci y on ans o ma ion o he habi a . Le ´s no o ge ha he public space, in addi ion o s uc u ing he ci y and mee ing mobili y needs, also con ibu es o he imp o e- men o social ela ions and communi y li e. This is why Jaime Le ne , when alking abou egene a- ion, poin s ou he impo ance o designing public space, and in his de ini ion o “The u ban acupunc- u e” he emphasizes i as one o he ins umen s o cu e he ci y (Le ne , 2006). And Gehl e ines e en mo e and a i ms ha a ci y is habi able when i o e s eedom o choice in e ms o mobili y (Gehl, 2008). I is impo an o emphasize ha he lack o mobili y con ibu es o ma ginaliza ion and social exclusion (U e a, 2008). Mobili y is closely ela ed o anspo al hough i is ob ious ha you do no need o eso o anspo o ge i . Howe e , anspo a ion is he in as uc- u e sys em ha ensu es he connec ion be ween he cen e and he pe iphe y wi h he ac i i ies o he ci y so he leng h o he dis ances makes i some imes he only esou ce o acili a e mobili y. Al hough i is also ue ha he poo quali y o u - baniza ion o he opog aphy o he e ain make di icul o adi ional anspo o access ou ly- ing and obsole e a eas and con ibu es e en mo e o he isola ion o hese a eas and hei inhabi - an s in social li e. They educe he possibili ies o educa ion, heal h ca e, employmen , leisu e, e c. Fu he mo e, his lack o accessibili y and mobil- i y make impossible he implemen a ion o hese public spaces, hinde ing one o he undamen al p emises o u ban egene a ion. The e o e, mo- bili y and accessibili y a e undamen al ac o s o b eak he physical and social ba ie s be ween he cen al and pe iphe al a eas o he ci y. In his sense, he in e en ion in he public space, and he “u ban acupunc u e” h ough he anspo sys ems, is mani es ed as a success ul op ion o u ban egene a ion, a icula ion and ein eg a ion o socie y. Taking in o accoun he abo e, he pu pose o his esea ch a ises, which de ails he s udy o he ci y U ban egene a ion o Medellin 49 UPLanD - Jou nal o U ban Planning, Landscape & En i onmen al Design, 3(1) h p://upland.i o Medellín, which wen om being one o he mos dange ous ci ies in Colombia o an example o u ban egene a ion, hanks o he implemen a- ion o a success ul sys em o equipmen dis ib- u ed h oughou he ci y and he cons uc ion o a new anspo sys em: he me o-cable. Elemen h ough which no only access and in e connec- ion was achie ed among he mos disad an aged a eas o he ci y, ein eg a ion and social cohesion we e also ensu ed, in addi ion o placing he ci y as an example o sus ainabili y. 2. Me hod The esea ch is ca ied ou om a b ie analysis o he physical en i onmen and he u ban con- o ma ion o he municipali y o Meddellín, which is complemen ed wi h a mo e de ailed analysis o he cu en u ban ci cums ances in gene al and he me ocable p ojec in pa icula . The opo- g aphical ques ions a e explained om he con- sul a ion o di e se ca og aphic and planime ic sou ces. The s udy o he objec o he esea ch: he me ocable, is made om a ho ough analysis o a la ge numbe o scien i ic ex s and consul a- ion o a ious ins i u ional sou ces ha p o ide e idence om di e en s udies o wha has been de eloped in he esea ch. 3. Medellín, ci y, e i o y and u ban planning Medellín is loca ed in he Abu á Valley on he banks o he Medellín Ri e , on he Andes moun- ain ange. I is pa o a conu ba ion o 10 mu- nicipali ies ha eaches 3,550,000 inhabi an s, al hough only abou 2,400,000 a e concen a ed in i . Topog aphically i egula , wi hin i s u ban landscape di e en al i udes a e eached, anging om 1470 m abo e sea le el in he cen al zone, o 3100 m on a eas o El Rome al, Pad e Amaya o Las Baldías. Wi h an a ea o 328 km2, he u ban ab ic is di ided in o 249 o icial neighbo hoods and wen y ins i u ional a eas, loca ed on bo h banks o he Medellín Ri e . The o iginal, o ganized and planned ci y su e ed a he beginning o he 20 h cen u y a chao ic de- elopmen lacking in planning mo i a ed by he p ocess o indus ializa ion ha ook place on he banks o he Medellín Ri e , and by he mig a o y mo emen o he inhabi an s om he coun y- side o he ci y. All his esul ed in a gene alized abandonmen o he cen al a eas and a massi e in asion o he pe iphe al e i o y ha demand- ed new se ices and in as uc u es. Awa e o he p oblem, he go e nmen en us ed Paul Wiene and Jose Luis Se wi h a egula o y plan o i s ans o ma ion in 1950. Howe e , in he eigh ies he p oblems wo sened u he , hey began o occupy opog aphically impossible a eas and un idy g ow hs de eloped, wi hou ee spaces, equipmen , communica ion sys ems o basic in as uc u e, a eas whe e es- iden ial p eca iousness p e ailed and which in- e connec ion was impossible due, among o he ac o s, o he opog aphy o he land i sel . This chaos os e ed he inc ease o ma ginali y and c ime, which in u n u he enhanced his si u- a ion. As a esul , many ma ginal neighbo hoods appea ed, au hen ic u ban ghe os, socially ex- cluded and wi h unbea able li ing condi ions. The u gen u ban egene a ion ha he ci y need- ed culmina ed wi h he ealiza ion o a se ies o p ojec s in 2004. P ojec s in eg a ed in a p og am o social, poli ical and educa ional e o ms ha no only managed o eac i a e he deg aded zones, bu also con ibu ed o a egene a ion o socie y: comp ehensi e u ban p ojec s, he ein a e (PUI). Bu i was no only hese p ojec s ha b ough he solu ion o he p oblems posed, he inclusion o he me o-cable as a new anspo sys em ha in e ela ed u ban in e en ions, achie ed he de- ini i e in eg a ion o obsole e and pe iphe al a e- as o he ci y. The main objec i e o he PUI was o eac i a e he p oblema ic a eas o he ci y, con ibu ing o he po en ial and imp o emen o he public space, based on he p o ision o s a egically loca ed public acili ies. Th ough he PUI, accessibili y was imp o ed in all he in e ened a eas, u baniza ion was imp o ed and he social in eg a ion o he di - e en u ban a eas was also achie ed. Eche e i and O sini (2010) de ined hem as “an ins umen o planning and physical in e en ion in a eas cha ac e ized by high a es o ma ginali y, seg e- ga ion, po e y and iolence”. In eali y, i s objec i es and in e en ion s a e- gies emind us o hose de ined by Jaime Le ne (2006) o u ban acupunc u e; hey pu sued he egene a ion o he social, u ban and physical a e- as, educing hei ulne abili y. They succeeded in in eg a ing he a eas in he u ban ab ic, inc eas- ing accessibili y and e en in e ening in he e i- o y i sel when ci cums ances so equi e. In he same way we could say ha he c ea ion o hese u ban spaces a e inspi ed by he Ba celona eno- 50 Ca men de Tomás Medina UPLanD - Jou nal o U ban Planning, Landscape & En i onmen al Design, 3(1) h p://upland.i a ion model (Monclús, 2003). Howe e , i was un- doub edly he me o-cable ha in e connec ed he PUI which also managed o elimina e ghe os and physical ba ie s wi hin he u ban ab ic and be- came a undamen al piece o u ban egene a ion. 3.1 The me o-cable The me o-cable is he cable anspo sys em ha is used in high moun ain po s o mo e a ound he ski slopes. The applica ion o i s echnology o he ci y o Medellín mean a simple, as and e icien implemen a ion and a he same ime economic and sus ainable. Simple and as due o he ease o ins alla ion and he low le el o al e a ion o he u ban ab ic. Since o i s ope a ion only needed o implan in he ab ic a se ies o pos e s o which he cables will join h ough which he cabin will slide; al hough i was used o u banize he s ee s whe e he line would un and p o ide hem wi h equipmen and na u al ees ( igu e 1); as well as enabling some a eas o loca e he s a ions o en y and exi o he cable ailway. S a ions ha we e lo- ca ed in he mos ulne able a eas, ac ing as ca a- lys s o he egene a ion p ocess. Only 16 mon hs we e used o he cons uc ion o he i s line. I was e ec i e because ai anspo elimina ed he physical ba ie s caused by densi ica ion, he deg ada ion o u baniza ion and he opog aphy i sel and managed o connec and in eg a e he obsole e and p oblema ic a eas o he ci y, also educing he ime o in es in he ans e . And economic because o he nume ous bene i s ha o se hei in es men as well as he sus ainabili- y o he p ojec , because in addi ion o helping o educe CO2 emissions and he g eenhouse gases p oduced by he old buses, his helped o inance pa o he cos s om he in es men . The i s line (k) was se in o ope a ion in 2004 o connec wo o he poo es communes o he mu- nicipali y, San a C uz and Popula , wi h he i s me o line ha uns pa allel o he Medellín Ri e . These communes lacked he main in as uc u es and o a minimum u baniza ion and hey we e loca ed in an ab up zone wa e ed by nume ous oughs, eason why hei s ee s had a e y high slope. I s wea ing was he esul o an “illegal oc- cupa ion o lands wi h immig an s om he coun- yside o he ci y”; (Zapa a, 2009). The access and he ci cula ion we e qui e compli- ca ed, as a consequence o he lack o u baniza ion and he own opog aphy o he land, which made di icul he a i al o he adi ional anspo and he connec ion wi h he me o-line. Ci cums ances ha u he emphasized he isola ion and deg a- da ion o he a eas lea ing hem imbued wi h po - e y, unemploymen and c ime. They came o be conside ed he epicen e o he iolence associa - ed wi h d ug a ic, when Medellín was desc ibed as he mos iolen ci y in he wo ld in 1992. The cons uc ion o he k line mean o he com- munes, a solu ion o he p oblem o anspo , ease and speed o mo emen , in e connec ion wi h he es o he ci y, and a de ini i e agen o i s social e o m. The me o-cable o e came he physical obs acles and became he di ec ing ec o o he i s PUI, p ojec s ha buil new public acili ies in he obsole e zones, choosing o hei loca ion he same places whe e he me o-cable s a ions had been buil , and con ibu ing o he in eg a ion o he new anspo sys em in he u ban ab ic. The ease o access and he apidi y o i s mo emen mean ha he wo hou s ha he inhabi an s ini- ially ook o ge om he pe iphe y o he cen e o he ci y would be educed wi h i s use o se en minu es. In addi ion, such i s in luence was on so- cie y ha di e en s udies co obo a e ha he in- clusion o he me o-cable in he plo signi ican ly educed he numbe o homicides and he a e o iolence was educed by 79%, al hough in no case managed o e adica e c ime. The execu ion o he line cos 23 million dolla s, a p ice ha compa ed o o he anspo sys ems such as he unde g ound, o he o e -g ound, was qui e ad an ageous. I could also be said ha i was economically p o i able because o he sup- posed bene i s ha led o he local and p i a e economy. The s a ions became mee ing poin s and cen e s o egene a ion ha a ac ed he implan- a ion o new equipmen and businesses which posi i ely in luenced he economy, expanding he supply o employmen and imp o ing social cohe- sion. Comme cial ac i i y inc eased by 40%. Al- hough i is ue ha no s udy has been ca ied ou ye o measu e he impac o he new comme cial ac i i y on he pa icula economy o households, o o explain whe he unemploymen a es we e signi ican ly educed. Howe e , i is also ue ha amilies educed spending on locomo ion sys ems by no ha ing o pay o he use o di e en ways o anspo o ge o he cen e , and only ha ing o pay he me o-cable icke , which was also lowe . Thus he o e coming o he di e en al i udes o he land, oge he wi h he imp o emen o he u baniza ion o he own in as uc u es, he a ail- abili y o public anspo on hem, he epe cus- sion on he economy and on he social ans o - ma ions made a success o he p ojec and soon i was se in ope a ion, a second line in e connec ing U ban egene a ion o Medellin 51 UPLanD - Jou nal o U ban Planning, Landscape & En i onmen al Design, 3(1) h p://upland.i Figu e 1: The Me o.cable. Sou ce: by Gacha187 [CC BY-SA 3.0], om Wikimedia Commons 52 Ca men de Tomás Medina UPLanD - Jou nal o U ban Planning, Landscape & En i onmen al Design, 3(1) h p://upland.i o he communes, wi h somewha highe income le els and a less ab up opog aphy, wi h he me - o ne wo k. A p esen , h ee lines ope a e, he las one connec ed o a na u al pa k h ough a s a ion loca ed in a ma ginal neighbo hood 3. Conclusions The u ban egene a ion p oposed o he ci y o Medellín, om he ealiza ion o in eg al u ban p ojec s in he mos dep essed a eas o he ci y and om he cons uc ion o he me o-cable as a new anspo a ion sys em, I helped o alle i- a e he u ban chaos in which he ci y had been plunged in he ace o uncon olled u ban g ow h, he abandonmen o he cen al a eas and he dis- in eg a ion and disconnec ion o he new pe iph- e al e i o ies wi h he es o he ci y. The inclusion o he me o-cable as an u ban ans- po sys em mean o e coming physical ba ie s, o e coming he lack o u baniza ion in obsole e a eas and i s de ini i e in eg a ion in o he ci y, ensu ing mobili y and social cohesion. The new anspo sys em eached he mos inaccessible a eas and ac ed as a ca alys in u ban egene a ion, punc u ing he mos agile poin s o he ab ic o ans o m hem in o new public spaces endowed wi h all kinds o equipmen ha would con ib- u e o he economic imp o emen o he a ea and social cohesion. In as uc u es and u baniza ion we e imp o ed, he in e ela ion o hese a eas wi h he es o he u ban ab ic was achie ed, he employmen a e was inc eased and, consequen - ly, delinquency and ma ginali y dec eased. Summa izing, eco e ing he wo ds o Ba on in 2008 ega ding wi h wha should be sus ainabil- i y, Medellín had become an example o sus aina- ble de elopmen and no only because o he e y low impac ha he new anspo sys em has on he en i onmen , bu in wha had been an in- eg al imp o emen o he quali y o human li e Figu e 2: Medellín: A Me o.cable in a slum. Sou ce: Max Pixel, CC0 Public Domain U ban egene a ion o Medellin 53 UPLanD - Jou nal o U ban Planning, Landscape & En i onmen al Design, 3(1) h p://upland.i and well-being in he daily space. Th ough he im- p o emen o he public space in gene al and he new anspo a ion sys em in pa icula , i ´s been aken place he long-awai ed u ban egene a ion ha had con ibu ed o social in eg a ion and co- hesion by lowe ing delinquency and ma ginali y a es. So impo an and nume ous we e he ben- e i s o he new anspo a ion sys em ha i was quickly adop ed by o he ci ies in Colombia and La in Ame ica such as Rio de Janei o and Ca a- cas. Inno a ions in mobili y and clima e change ha e classi ied i as one o he 100 esilien ci ies o 2016 (Zúñiga, Rod iguez, 2017). Medellín wen om being one o he mos dange ous ci ies in Co- lombia o an example o sus ainabili y. Re e ences Alcaldía de Medellín (2006). P oyec os u banos in eg ales. P ensa o icial del Ayun amien o. 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