Medellín: The Two Faces of Urban Transformation

Medellin, a model for the global south?

Google describes Medellín as the "capital of Colombia’s mountainous Antioquia province." Known as the "City of Eternal Spring" for its temperate weather, it hosts the famous annual Flower Festival and boasts modern metrocables linking the city to surrounding barrios. Visitors admire Fernando Botero's sculptures in downtown's Botero Plaza and explore his artwork in the Museo de Antioquia.

This image of Medellín as a progressive and thriving city is celebrated worldwide, but beneath the surface, the city continues to wrestle with inequality, displacement, and a history of violence.

While it has become a reference point for urban innovation, questions remain: Can its model be replicated elsewhere in the Global South? And at what cost has its transformation come?

📍 The Postcard Image: A city reborn—Medellín, once the world’s most dangerous city, is now Latin America’s poster child for urban innovation and social inclusion.

🚨 The Hidden Reality: Sexual tourism, gang control, gentrification,…