The Latin American city post Medellín

Abstract

Alejando Echeverri analyzes the transformation of several Latin American cities, mainly Medellín, and the interdependence between territorial planning and political processes. At the same time, he explains the social bases that prompted the spectacular transformation of Medellín in the past decade, he gives details of the procedure that made it possible and makes a critical balance of its repercussion on other cities of the region.

Echeverri describes the phenomenon of second cities and emphasizes the case of Rosario (Argentina). He analyzes the challenge faced by Brazilian cities in order to respond to the growth of the middle class. He presents the fundamentals of “social town planning”, discarding the fact that the ultimate end might be the physical transformations and clarifying that the objective of this town planning is to offer programs that integrate the population to the development of the city. 

Finally, Echeverri explains how Medellín knew how to take advantage of its geographical conditions.