Medellin was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Drug cartels reigned, homicides and explosions were commonplace, and only the foolish strolled the streets at night. Through a series of smart investments in poor communities, transportation infrastructure, schools, technology and public parks, the city has transformed itself into a model of urban planning and innovation, garnering international recognition for its entrepreneurialism and modernity. Medellin wants to reinvent itself again – this time as Latin America’s first “eco-city” with wide-ranging initiatives in renewable energy, transportation, housing, water management and waste. As governments and investors around the world direct funds towards pandemic recovery efforts, cities like Medellin are taking the opportunity to simultaneously set a climate-friendly agenda for years to come.
The government’s ambitious plans are to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent, electrify all public transport by 2030, expand bike lanes by 50 percent, and double the number of public transport lines. One strategy to meet the city’s economic and climate goals is to locally manufacture parts for a decarbonized mass transport system, said Jaime Arenas Plata, the director of Medellin’s Sustainable Energy Cluster — part of the city’s “cluster” system of public-private partnerships that aim to boost economic growth. While 70 percent of spare parts for the metro are manufactured locally, the city currently buys its electric buses from a Chinese company. But Arenas has said the contract expires at the end of next year and he is hoping to see a deal to manufacture many of those electric vehicles locally. This strategy has proven particularly successful in Costa Rica, long considered the model for eco-tourism. Pre-pandemic, the country boasted eco-tourism as one of its main industries while maintaining strong conservation protections. Conversely, in the Brazilian Amazon, successful eco-tourism hotspots have found themselves under threat from land grabs and illegal deforestation and construction.