Inclusive City Planning

Social impacts of economic urban infrastructure in Colombia

The project involved conducting focus groups and semi-structured interviews to support and transcripts, as well as convening a colloquium.

The focus groups traced the relationship between different government levels and the urban interventions and to understand the involvement of other organization either communitarian, NGOs or projects related to international funding strategies. Life opportunities have changed for the broad city but neighbourhoods, that used to be perceived as enclaves, have become increasingly integrated in the urban fabric. The changes in perception are linked to violence reduction, but also to the daily bases involvement of outer (living outside the neighbourhood) people as new service and facilities staff. 

The colloquium aimed to contribute to the debate about urban infrastructure investments and inclusive city planning in Colombia, drawing on two case studies (Medellín and Buenaventura). It took place in Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, and involved representatives from civil society, academia, government and the private sector. Discussions showed the importance of participatory and inclusive planning for urban development in two Colombian municipalities. Key actors considered inclusion and participation are key elements for processes of development and urban planning. However, there should be more dialogue among these actors to build common languages and plan more inclusive cities, more effectively.