It seems that common sense solutions are usually completely ignored by governments in Latin American cities, and it is refreshing to see that this isn´t the case with Medellín. The government is rebuilding its city for the inhabitants: they have discovered that when people have public spaces they can enjoy and where they can relax, breathe in clean air, and stretch their legs, they work harder, better, and are generally happier. The poorer inhabitants of the city don’t have time or money to take vacations to the rural areas; they don’t have the means to visit beaches and certainly don’t have membership to country clubs…so the city decided to give them spaces where they could take their families, where they could lay on the grass, sit on a bench and kick back on a Sunday.
Today’s Where blog post on Medellín reminds me of similar successes enjoyed by Bogota a few years back (and still enjoyed, as far as I know):
“Every Sunday, we close 120 kilometers of main arteries to motor vehicles for seven hours,” [former Bogota mayor] Penalosa explained. “A million and a half people of all ages and conditions come out to ride bicycles, jog, see others, to appropriate their city. During Christmas, we close those streets one night and more than 3 million people come out just to see the Christmas lights, to be with the others as a community.”
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2 Responses to “Medellín is the new Bogota”
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Thanks for linking the article, we´re trying hard to show the world that Medellín is a wonderful city, taking giant leaps into making it beautifully liveable.
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