Medellín went from being ground zero of Colombia's drug war to UN poster child for urban equality—and the people made it happen, by designing the city they wanted.
Note:This article appears in Cities Are Now, the Winter 2015 issue of YES! Magazine, a nonprofit, independent publication dedicated to solutions-oriented journalism. I wrote it to show what's possible in transforming not only cities but society at large when good governance and a commitment to social justice meet citizen participation and creative resilience. My previous two posts offering more context for my trip to Medellín earlier this year are here and here.
Posters throughout Comuna 13 neighborhood. The Héroes 13 campaign features gigantic posters of leaders who offer alternative visions to kids and teenagers in a community with little resources. Photo from Pazamanos Foundation.