Medellín: A Model of Social Urban Planning and Sustainable Mobility
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The city of Medellín, in Colombia, has been cited worldwide as a model for its policy of reducing favelas—very poor neighborhoods found on the outskirts of many South American cities. This successful social policy is notable for placing public transport and the improvement of the urban environment at the heart of the actions carried out.
© SHUTTERSTOCK - Medellín's urban cable car system has opened up poor hillside areas.
Medellín: A Transforming Latin American Metropolis
With 3.7 million inhabitants, Medellín is Colombia’s second-largest city after the capital, Bogotá. Located 1,500 meters above sea level, the city is built in a wide natural basin whose steep hillsides are home to the poorest populations. This phenomenon of disadvantaged outskirts developed in Medellín—just as in many other major Latin American cities—because of the steady flow of rural populations migrating to urban areas starting in the 1950s.
Barrios Born from Unplanned Urban Development
For many years, the city authorities neglected any form of urban planning, and people gradually occupied the peri-urban areas “horizontally”, building makeshift housing with no transport options and no public services. This expansion created thousands of hectares of favelas (as they are called in Brazil), or barrios in Spanish. In Medellín, these neighborhoods eventually became lawless zones controlled by drug cartels, including that of Pablo Escobar, who was one of the leading figures in the global drug trade.
Social Urban Planning: A Long-Term Project to Fight Poverty
Starting in 1995, the main cartels were dismantled, and successive municipal administrations—regardless of their political orientation—launched a policy aimed at reclaiming urban space and reducing poverty. This approach was encapsulated in the concept of “social urban planning”.
Public Transport at the Heart of Opening Up the City
Public transport has been essential in reconnecting the city’s poorest neighborhoods. The steep slopes and the tightly packed buildings made it impossible to use buses. The city therefore opted for a cable car system for the Metrocable, similar to those found in ski resorts. Four gondola lines were gradually installed, allowing an average of 70,000 passengers to be transported every day at a speed of 18 km/h. In addition, an almost 400-meter-long giant escalator, divided into eight sections, now provides access to one of the city’s highest districts, Comuna 13, which used to be one of the most dangerous in terms of security.
Cable cars are becoming an increasingly popular mode of transport in large metropolitan areas. In Latin America, they can also be found in Rio de Janeiro and La Paz, as well as in Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong) and Europe (London, Cologne, Budapest). In France, Brest and Toulouse have cable cars, and another one was inaugurated at the end of 2025 between several towns in Val de Marne, near Paris.
In Medellín, connections were created between the Metrocable and other transport systems: the existing metro, a new network of articulated buses with greater capacity, and a rubber-tired tramway designed to handle steep slopes and tight curves. These new transport options are considered by the municipality as a tool for social inclusion, helping to integrate communities that had long been isolated from the rest of the city.
Urban Agriculture and Green Spaces: Rebuilding Community Connections
A second priority was to develop urban agriculture, not only to improve food production but also to restore a sense of rural roots within an urban environment. The municipality relied on local community organizations to achieve this. For example, the Salva Terra Foundation set up around sixty vegetable gardens on the outskirts of the city for local families. These families keep part of the harvest for themselves and sell the remainder to earn a small income. At the same time, the city implemented a policy to create more green spaces.
Housing, Services and Culture: Towards a More Inclusive City
At the same time, successive municipal administrations launched the construction of residential buildings to increase urban density and promote “vertical” development, to prevent the outward expansion of disadvantaged neighborhoods. A program of schools, public libraries and cultural centers for young people complemented these efforts, helping to improve social conditions.
Pollution and Mobility: The Challenges of a City in Transition
Although Medellín’s urban renewal policy focused on public transport, it coincided with a striking trend: the number of motor vehicles doubled between 2005 and 2015, and the number of motorcycles increased by nearly 300% over the same period.
Known as the “City of Eternal Spring” because its average temperature ranges from 18°C to 28°C throughout the year, the metropolitan area has become highly polluted. The municipality has introduced frequent measures such as alternate-day driving restrictions and temporary bans on vehicles. However, smog episodes are further worsened during El Niño climate events, which regularly cause severe droughts in Colombia.
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