On 7 October the 28th Commemoration of World Habitat Day took place in the midst of a series of events, seminars, discussions and activist demonstrations worldwide sponsored by the United Nations. The theme of this year was urban mobility, an issue that has claimed particular relevance in policy discussions globally in recent years.
To mark the occasion, Prof. Julio Dávila, from the Bartlett's Development Planning at UCL organized the seminar Urban Mobility and Poverty: Lessons from Medellin and Soacha, Colombia and the official launch of the English and Spanish versions of the book of the same name. During the event, Professor Dávila presented two contrasting experiences in Colombian cities, both marked by acute social tensions and inequalities: Medellin's Cable-car project "Metrocable" and Altos de Cazucá in Soacha.
Photo by ©Gynna Millan
The research presented reflects particularly on the effects innovative infrastructure projects like the Cable-cars in Medellín can have over the mobility of vulnerable populations and general inequalities in urban areas. The Metrocable experience in Medellin was contrasted with Soacha, one of the clearest examples of illegal occupation of territory and abandonment in spite of being physically merged with Colombia's capital city.
This is only an example of the relevance Colombian cities are claiming in issues related with urban development and innovation. From the different prizes our cities have been awarded worldwide to the emulation of projects like Transmilenio and Metrocable, advancements in Colombian cities have drawn attention of academics, practitioners and policy makers from both developed and developing countries. This trend has led to examples like the recently developed Emirates Cable-car in London and countless Bus Rapid Transit Systems in many cities of the global south.
Photos by Paddy Brigs and superstock.com
These stories of success have led researchers of many areas to put their eyes over Colombian cities and their work in different aspects of urban development. However, work like the project of Professor Dávila and his reflections over Soacha reminds us of the long path still to be covered particularly concerning the poor in our cities. New research projects are being developed at the moment in UCL in search of better ways to understand and improve transport and urban development in Colombia and Latin America from all disciplines, which is likely to keep turning heads all over the UK and northern societies to our cities and developments.
If you want to know more about the Cable-car research project and download the free digital version of the book visit: http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/metrocables/book
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