Speaker
Description
Over the past three decades, the city has transformed from the most dangerous city in the world to a globally celebrated example of integrating social inclusion into urban transformation. This study explores Medellín’s Social Urbanism as a transformative urban planning paradigm shift, accommodating multiple narratives while adapting to an ever-evolving reality. Social Urbanism is characterised by participatory planning, equitable public space design, and bold, innovative solutions prioritising social infrastructure in the most vulnerable neighbourhoods. Drawing from the theoretical framework of policy paradigm shifts and multiple discourse analysis, this research examines the concept’s elasticity in accommodating diverse narratives while aiming for continuity in its transformations across political terms. The case study research includes observational photography, mapping and expert interviews with key stakeholders to capture the interplay between governance, design, and community dynamics.
Medellín’s sustained efforts demonstrate significant agility and resilience in pursuing social innovation by responding with adaptive narratives of one transformative concept. Successive city councils promote projects with differing characteristics, such as target groups, locations, and scales, reflecting evolving narratives. Some projects persist across administrations, such as the well-known cable cars, a flagship project that reconnects informal settlements to the formal city. Other projects fluctuate with political currents, creating opportunities to incorporate increasing challenges like ecology, climate adaptation, and active mobility modes.
The findings reveal that Social Urbanism was not a pre-thought model but a resulting synthesis, with urban projects evolving through five distinct eras, each characterised by differing focuses and responses to evolving urban challenges. Perceptions of more recent policies suggest that the paradigm shift is at risk, with a potential reversion to narratives of repression and symptom control, instead of continued bold infrastructural projects, thereby threatening to undermine ongoing efforts to reduce poverty, conflict, and inequality.
However, this article underscores Medellín’s significance as a global reference for policy mobility, identifying critical insights for cities in diverse contexts seeking to replicate or adapt Social Urbanism principles. Importantly, interviewed experts emphasise the uniqueness of Medellín’s profound challenges and strong responses within the city’s unique historical and sociopolitical context. Thus, the concept’s transferability lies not in replicating Medellín’s solutions but in drawing inspiration from the city’s transformative power, characterised by academic capacity building, international knowledge exchange, visionary and bold political leadership, prioritisation of efforts in critical neighbourhoods, a robust participatory approach, and intense collaboration with resourceful institutions.
Ultimately, this work contributes to the discourse on urban resilience and equity, emphasising the role of transformative urban policies in addressing the multifaceted crises of contemporary cities. By unpacking the layered narratives of Social Urbanism and confronting them with the mapping of the implemented urban projects, the study provides a nuanced understanding of how paradigm shifts can redefine urban futures, even in agile, conflictual, and contested contexts.
References
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| Keywords | Social Urbanism, Medellín, Policy Paradigm Shift, Multiple Narrative Analysis |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
