Governing inequality in the South through the Barcelona model: ‘social urbanism’ in Medellín, Colombia

Not all urban crises relate directly to the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath. Although global in reach, effects have been highly heterogeneous in different regions of the world, often accentuating or giving a new turn to existing crises. In the cities of the South, these commonly relate to acute problems of poverty, inequality, crime and insecurity; in short, governability. This paper examines critically the case of Medellin, Colombia’s second city, until recently infamous for its association with drugs cartels but now widely regarded as a laboratory of successful urban planning, design and management. This has been undertaken through the adaptation of the Barcelona model to local conditions, with high impact innovations in terms of public transport, architecture and urban design: a strategy of ‘urban acupuncture’ sustained by a narrative of a radical transformation and a break with the past. However, given increasing social inequality and a still fragile public order, this narrative has to be continually renewed and reinforced. Recent evidence suggests that the narrative is becoming strained and its ‘truth effects’ weakened, in part because the success of the city’s ‘social urbanism’ is converting an internal socio-spatial project into an external marketing strategy. The international interest and comparative study potential lies in the adaptation of a European model to the cities of the South, as well as the fact that the ‘Medellin model’ has influenced many cities in Latin America and elsewhere.