Improving Safety Through Architecture and Public Works in Colombia

This piece from Utne Reader looks at the role of architecture in the public works projects of Medellin, Colombia, a city that has struggled with severe crime.

1 minute read

January 30, 2010, 9:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


Former Medellín mayor Sergio Fajardo talks about how design and architecture affected the city's safety and psychology.

"As we reported in November, during Fajardo's term as mayor (from 2004 through 2007), any reduction in violence was immediately supplemented with a 'concrete community improvement.' So as Medellín's murder rate plunged, many of the city's poorest neighborhoods became home to sparkling new schools, housing, community spaces, and "library parks" (the Parque Biblioteca España, designed by Mazzanti, is pictured above, at left).

'From the time I was a child, it was clear to me what aesthetics meant as a tool for social transformation, as a message of inclusion,' Fajardo, whose father was an architect, tells Mazzanti. 'That is something that is often misunderstood here. Underneath it all is the most important word in all of those urban interventions in which architecture plays an important role: dignity.'"

Friday, January 29, 2010 in Utne Reader

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight