Medellín’s Biblioteca España_Progress in Unlikely Places

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Introduction: Colombia and Medelln

Colombia is often described as a violent

country with an uneven government pres-ence. After a bloody civil war in the mid-twentieth century, guerrilla conflict emergedin the 1960s, paramilitary groups formed tofight the guerrilla groups, and drug relatedviolence boomed in the 1980s and 1990s.Meanwhile, as many of the violent groupstargeted the state and the judiciary in par-ticular, common violent crime increased,making Colombia infamous for its violence.In the last decade, however, Colombia hasmade great progress in taming these sourcesof violence.

This paper focuses on a public works pro-ject in Medelln. Medelln is the capital of thedepartment of Antioquia, which is the birth-place of many paramilitary groups and hometo about a third of the demobilized para-

militaries in the country. The city witnessedextensive drug violence in the 1980s and

early 1990s, as well as clashes between urbanguerrillas and paramilitaries in the 1990s.Medelln has also suffered from the influ-ence of other violent groups and clientelismin general, making the challenge of improv-ing quality of life and security here substan-tial. Over the last twenty years, Medelln wasmore violent than Colombia overall, whichhad one of the highest national homiciderates in the region. In 1991, Medelln hadthe highest homicide rate of any city in theworld (Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal;United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime).

Medelln is also home to many Colombi-ans internally displaced by political violence(IDPs). Frequently, cities do not have theinfrastructure to provide security and basicservices such as health care, education, andwater/sanitation (IDMC 2007; Ferris 2010)for the new arrivals or their existing poorresidents. Alzate (2008 134) finds that life

in Colombian urban centres, where morethan 70 per cent of the population resides,

Holmes, J and Gutirrez de Pieres, S 2013 Medellns Biblioteca Espaa:Progress in Unlikely Places. Stability: International Journal of Security &Development, 3(1): 2, pp. 1-13, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/sta.cz

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Medellns Biblioteca Espaa: Progress inUnlikely Places

Jennifer S. Holmes*and Sheila Amin Gutirrez de Pieres

stability

*University of Texas at Dallas, United [email protected]

Austin College, United [email protected]

The Biblioteca Espaa, designed by Giancarlo Mazzanti, is a library park built to serve twotraditionally marginalized comunas(neighborhoods) of Medelln. As such, it is a prime exam-

ple of a public policy intervention that focuses on social inclusion, the provision of services,and quality of life. In this paper, we ask whether improvements in state capacity and infra-structure at the local level can have a broad impact in poor and violent communities. Thesurvey results reveal that citizens of comunasPopular and Santa Cruz perceive their situa-tion to be improving at a faster rate than those of the city in general. The broader lessonfor other countries and cities facing similar challenges is that leadership and reforms dohave the potential to improve the quality of life, even in the most troubled areas.
http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/sta.czmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://dx.doi.org/10.5334/sta.cz


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Holmes and Gutirrez de Pieres: Medellns Biblioteca EspaaArt. 2, page 2 of 13

has worsened due to the en masse arrival ofIDPs since 2000. According to Accin Social(2012), almost 190,000 displaced personssettled in Medelln from 1998 to 2011. Manyof them settle into the poor wards of the city,such as Popular and Santa Cruz (Municipio deMedellin 2006). DANE (2005; 2005a; 2005b)records that 7.9 per cent of the new residentsof Popular had relocated due to threats, com-pared to six per cent in Santa Cruz. Thus, weturn to broader efforts by municipal authori-ties to improve quality of life for all in aneighborhood instead of by group.

Despite its history of conflict, Medellnalso has been recognized for its proactive

efforts to improve quality of life for all itsresidents. Medelln has been at the fore-front of efforts to use public spaces to helpconfront violence, as opposed to more tra-ditional responses of gated communities,private security, increasing boundaries andthe loss of public spaces, as described in theArgentine case by Dammert (2001). In 2005,the city established Medelln Award for BestPractice Transfer, LAC 2005 to promote

the exchange of best practices for cities con-fronting similar community developmentand housing challenges. This is an especiallywelcome development for a country thatpreviously was known for a lack of institu-tional efforts to disseminate information onbest practices and alternatives to municipalproblems (Fiszbein 1997: 1031). In 2009,the foundation that runs the Medellnlibrary system, the EPM Foundation, receiveda US$1,000,000 Access to Learning Award

from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In2010, three programs were recognized as bestpractices by UN Habitat: Medelln Solidaria,which improved the quality of life for 45,000of the most poor households (in terms ofincome, education, health, nutrition, hous-ing, access to credit, justice etc.); ProgramaBuen Comienzo, which provides comprehen-sive development services to children frombirth to age five beginning in 2006; and the

citys quality of life survey (Encuesta de Cali-dad de Vida). In January 2012, the city was

awarded the Sustainable Transport Awardfrom the Institute for Transportation andDevelopment Policy (ITDP) for the Metroca-ble, which links some of the peripheral partsof the city to the subway.

Medellnis safer than in the past, althoughchallenges remain. Table 1 shows a signifi-cant improvement in the citys security situ-ation. Murder rates dropped two-thirds from2002 to 2004, with levels far lower than itspeak of 381 per 100,000 in 1991. Evidence ofurban guerrilla violence is now much lower,and many credit the demobilization of para-military forces for the overall decline in vio-lence in the city (Spagat 2007). At the same

time, however, the 2009 spike in homicideshas been attributed to power vacuum left bythe extradition of the powerful paramilitaryleader Don Berna (Colombia Report 2012).Medellns mayor, Alonso Salazar, has spokenof new groups forming from the demobi-lized militants. Additionally, Antioquia hasbeen plagued by the parapolitics scandal,in which many politicians have been accusedand or convicted of collusion with illegal

groups (Romero 2008; El Tiempo 2011).Local Planning Eorts,Coordination, and InnovationThe Colombian government and peoplehave recognized the importance of statecapacity to both discourage violence and tomitigate the effects of violence through thecreation of a stronger public sector (Holmesand Gutierrez de Pieres 2013). To that end,major, long-term efforts to decentralize

authority and resources have been underwaysince the mid-1980s. The 1991 Constitutionmandated for the first time that departmentand local governments be popularly elected(ONeill 2003: 1072). Decentralization wasdesigned to increase local autonomy, citi-zen participation, resources, and capacity(Olivera, Pachn, and Perry 2010: 2). CarlosHolmes Trujillo, a delegate to the 1991 con-stitutional assembly, stated, Our duty was

to fortify participatory democracy. Planningshould have its origin in the municipality


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Holmes and Gutirrez de Pieres: Medellns Biblioteca Espaa Art. 2, page 3 of 13

(Gaceta Constitutional 1991: 11; cited in Kline2009: 168). In 1997, Law 388 required allColombian cities to create an overall land useplan called Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial(POT) to transform public spaces. A positiveexternality of the POT is that it demands a

strong public sector, with great initiativeand able to run urban development, in orderto be made operational and to be executed(managed) (Salazar Ferro 2009, 19). Theseand other institutional changes have pro-vided greater opportunities for municipali-ties like Medelln to innovate and to improvepublic services and security.

Medelln, in particular, has developed areputation for the excellence of its planning

projects. Garcia Bocanegra (2010: 137) notesthe excellence of the 1951 Plan Regulador

de Wiener y Sert, the Plan Regulador (fromthe 1985 Plan de Desarrollo Metropolitano),and the 1999 POT (Acuerdo 62/99), whichserve as a baseline for any proposed plan ofaction. The 1999 POT plan aimed for con-trolled growth, recovery of public spaces,

the creation of new successful urban cent-ers by means of projects like library parks,and improvements in the informal sector. Toachieve these goals, the plan explicitly calledfor both private and public efforts and co-responsibility. The POT also provided instru-ments such as partial plans including public,private, and mixed efforts, special plans forcertain areas, tools for land management,macro projects, projects to improve neigh-

borhoods, management tools, and PUIs(proyecto urbano integral) (Garcia Bocanegra

Murder rate(per 100,000)

Guerrillah.r. violations

Paramilitary h.r.violations

Public Forces h.r.violations

1999 161 22 9 4

2000 167 18 14 4

2001 168 17 24 1

2002 177 22 34 17

2003 107 2 35 1

2004 56 1 13 6

2005 34 0 5 3

2006 36 0 20 10

2007 35 0 18 6

2008 47 0 26 5

2009 94 0 41 4

2010 86 0 14 4

2011 70 1 6 1

Table 1:Medelln Violence.Sources: Homicide rate: Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal. All others: CINEPs base de

datos, September 2010 vintage for 19992009. These estimates are the annual numberof politically motivated human rights violations (total, leftist guerrilla, paramilitary andpublic forces). The category is total de hechos en DIH segn presunto presonsible. Thesestatistics do not include force-on-force violence, but range from acts against civilians suchas threats to murder. The acts have been identified as politically motivated and have aresponsible actor identified. 2010 and 2011 are from CINEPs Banco de Datos de DerechosHumanos y Violencia Poltica del CINEP, available online, accessed August 2012.


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2010: 1445). There have also been effortsto coordinate efforts in metropolitan regionreaMetropolitana del Vallede Aburr(thatincludes nine municipalities). In sum, fromthe original POT in 1999 to its revision in2006, the goals of Medellns projects havebeen characterized by the participation ofthe municipal government, which prioritizesinvestment in the most vulnerable sectors.

The proactive mayors of Medellin had a solidplanning foundation to guide their actions.Luis Perez, mayor of Medelln from 20012004, left many partial plans to guide theincoming administration of Sergio FajardoValderrama (20042007). Sergio Fajardo was

elected mayor in 2003 and served from 2004to 2007. Fajardo took advantage of planningopportunities to promote urban mobilityand urban refurbishment in schools, publiclibraries and poor neighborhoods (GutirrezSann et al 2009: 12). The new developmentplan recognized a governability crisis (includ-ing parts of the city controlled by non-stateactors, violent confrontation among criminalgroups, clientelism that reduced legitimacy,

and the closing of spaces of public debate),high poverty, growing inequality, an obsoleteeconomic and social structure, and insuffi-cient integration to the nation and the world(Alcaldia de Medelln 2004: 68). Since 2004development plan, more resources havebeen allocated to the parts of the city withlow levels of human development and qual-ity of life (Rojas and Vicente 2010: 20).

Fajardos plan lists five strategic goals forthe city: first, to become a governable and

participatory city, in which individual andgroup responsibilities are clear so that gov-ernability and compromise can be achieved;second, to achieve priorities of inclusive-ness and provision of services, especially toextend the reach to the most vulnerable,such as young children and the displaced, sothat all citizens can have a life with dignity;third, to create a city with meeting spaces forcitizens and a city that promotes quality of

life; fourth, to promote an economy that iscompetitive, productive and solidarity based,and; fifth, to increase the integration with

the region and world (Alcaldia de Medelln2004: 10). This plan also included compre-hensive efforts to provide indicators to pro-mote transparency and co-responsibility,such as the index of human development(IDH) and quality of life (ICV) for the cityand its comunas(Alcaldia de Medelln 2004:16). Fajardo and his team aimed to improveemployment opportunities, decrease pov-erty and inequality, improve security andeducational opportunities, and reduce thesocial isolation of the residents in these areasthrough these projects. In Fajardos words,the concept was the most beautiful for themost humble. It implied a rupture from the

idea that anything you give to the poor is aplus (Fajardo and Mazzanti 2010).Within these comprehensive plans, more

focused interventions were developed.Fajardo succeeded in building partnershipswith other institutions, such as the Empresade Desarrollo Urbano de Medelln (EDU), toimplement public infrastructure plans (Gar-cia Bocanegra 2010: 164). The EDU is com-prised of government, industrial, and busi-

ness groups within the Mayors office that arecharged with urban development and citizenwell-being. It works closely with the EPM,which is a non-profit organization of publicutilities, cultural and educational programs(Fundacion EPM). In Medelln, EDU directsthe development and implementation of thePUIs, which are comprehensive developmentplans to improve quality of life. The goal ofa PUI is to incorporate all aspects of devel-opment in a defined area. These Plans: 1)

organize all local spending on displacement,including funds from local, national, andinternational donors; 2) integrate all institu-tional responses to a local displacement; and3) establish comprehensive displacementresponses that cover everything from pro-tection and prevention to contingency plan-ning, humanitarian assistance, and socio-economic reestablishment (UNHCR 2008:5). This comprehensive response includes

attention to housing, citizen participation,environmental concerns, public spaces andcollective goods, and increased social integra-


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tion. The advantage of the PUI is that it coor-dinates different levels of government action,while empowering local committees to initi-ate their own interventions. The UNHCR hasrecognized PUIs as the kind of multi-facetedplanning model that can be successful toaid IDPs, in addition to the historically poor,that should be emulated by other countrieswith IDPs. Currently, the Ministry of Interiormonitors these plans. However, Ferris (2010)notes that not all municipalities prioritizedsuch plans, as Medelln has done.

Medellns first PUI focused on Popularand Santa Cruz, in the northeastern zone ofthe city, where the indices of human devel-

opment were among the lowest in the city(Alcadia de Medelln 2007). Medelln beganthe process by building the Metrocable,which connected previously isolated poorneighborhoods in the hills with the city andits public subway system. The Metrocableis a gondola system that connects residentsin the hillside communities with the cityssubway system. With its completion in 2004,travel times were reduced from hours to

minutes, greatly increasing economic oppor-tunities and social integration. As noted bythe United Nations Human SettlementsProgram, the physical and social distancebetween poor and rich neighborhoods rep-resents a spatial poverty trap marked bysix distinct challenges: severely limited jobopportunities, gender disparities, poor livingconditions, social exclusion and marginaliza-tion, lack of social interaction, and high crime(UN Habitat 2008: 834). The Metrocable, as

part of this overall effort, has even been cred-ited with helping to lower the murder rate inthese two areas from 2003 to 2008 (Cerd etal 2009). The PUI incorporated the Metroca-ble in addition to new pedestrian bridges, anew school, renovations of existing schools,a development zone (Cedezo), and otherinfrastructure improvements.

Subsequent mayors of Medelln have con-tinued aggressive efforts to increase quality

of life, education, and inclusion. Alonso Sala-zar, who succeeded Fajardo as mayor, servingfrom 20082011, had a plan that prioritized

quality education through the secondarylevel. Another program, Buen Comienzo(good beginning), covers children from birthto six, followed by programs to keep youthin school through age fifteen through grantsand loans for students to pursue advancededucation. The city has also constructed hous-ing (15,000 units), in addition to an extensiveexpansion of cultural and recreational pro-grams, and the establishment of parks andother public spaces. There are PUIs for otherparts of the city (three PUIs in 2010 includingComuna13, Centroriental, and Noroccidental,consisting of 103 works), with similar goalsof improving public spaces, mobility, and

the environment, physical transformation,and strengthening community participation(Alcaldia de Medelln 2010: 21; Alcaldia deMedelln 2008). Currently, the new mayor,Anbal Gaviria, who will serve from 20122015, pledges to continue working towardthe reduction of corruption, exclusion, andinequality, and the improvement of inte-gration, inclusion, and the improvement ofinfrastructure and competitiveness.

Plans have been complemented withmoney. At the local level in Medelln, theresources available to the municipal govern-ment increased significantly from 2000 to2010, as did spending. In this period, bothtotal and per capital spending increased four-fold in Medellin. By 2010, per capita spend-ing was approximately US$720 compared toUS$189 in 2000. (Based on a March 31, 2008exchange rate of 0.00055, DNP 2012)

The Design of Biblioteca EspaaBiblioteca Espana was initiated as part ofthe mayors social inclusion program thattargeted some of the poorest and mostisolated parts of the city. Bogot architectGiancarlo Mazzanti designed the BibliotecaEspaacomplex to fundamentally transformthe Santo Domingo Savio neighborhoodof Popular, which is also close to the SantaCruz neighborhood. Both are zona de ladera

(shanty or unplanned)and were some of themost affected by the narco violence of the1980s (Blanco and Hidetsugu 2009).


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These communities also fare poorly onmost socio-economic indicators. Sisbnclas-sifies household standard of living, from alow of one to a high of six. This classificationis used to assign social services and subsi-dies. This measure clearly indicates the lowstandard of living for these two comunas. Inthe 2010 profile of Popular, 48 per cent ofthe residents are in the lowest category ofone, 50 per cent are in category two, and twoper cent are in category three (Municipio deMedelln 2010). Santa Cruz is similar, with 27per cent in level one, 70 per cent in level twoand only three per cent in level three (Muni-cipio de Medelln 2010a).

Both comunasare densely populated andthe overall quality of housing is low. Almostall of the housing in these comunas is clas-sified as low, very low, or slum (99.8 percent in Popular and 99.9 per cent in SantaCruz). Education levels are lower in thesecomunas than in Medelln overall. In Popu-lar, 61.1 per cent of residents have a primaryor lower level of educational attainment. InSanta Cruz, 56.6 per cent do, compared to

41.5 per cent in Medelln overall. The per-cent of the population attending school, byage group, is also lower in every categorythan in the city overall. Not surprisingly,the low rates of educational attainment cor-respond with high unemployment in thesecommunities. In Popular, unemploymentrates are around 40 per cent and averagemonthly income is 147,000 pesos (US$70)(Municipio de Medelln 2010; Municipio deMedelln 2010a).

In order to visit the site and draw up thearchitectural plans, Mazzanti had to gain theconfidence and the cooperation of the localparamilitary groups (Interview, MedellnMay 2010). The Bibliotecawas completed in2007, and won the Iberoamerican Architec-ture Biennial award in 2008. Currently, thelibrary serves the needs of nearby residents,although it draws visitors from throughoutthe city and the world. The library is heavily

used, with more than 1,200 visiting it eachday (Caracol 2012). Moreover, the events

held at the library go beyond traditional cul-tural activities and literacy. For example, inSeptember 2012, the Biblioteca hosted TejidoSocial, a political leadership workshop forresidents, especially women.

Library parks such as the Biblioteca Espaaare much more than just a building withbooks. The complex provides broader infra-structure improvements, such as a com-munity center, an auditorium, art galleries,play/child care areas, computer labs, andoutside space. All are designed to improvethe economic prospects of nearby residents,increase their integration to the city at large,and promote social capital. This library was

designed with social inclusion as a main goal.According to Mazzanti (2010), this particularlibrary was designed with the three goals ofthe architecture of social inclusion in mind.First, the project should promote the crea-tion of employment and economic prosper-ity. Second, the project should promotesocial integration and the revitalization ofdepressed urban areas. Specifically, he triedto increase the communitys pride in the

library complex and in their neighborhood.Finally, the goal was to protect and improvethe urban environment. For example, thestructures are energy efficient thanks topassive air conditioning, and include publicspaces (Mazzanti 2010).

Evidence of ImpactA previous study by Valencia Agudelo et al(2008) investigated the impact of the imple-mentation of the 20042007 city planning

documents, which explicitly prioritized thecreation of social capital and strengthen-ing the bonds between residents and thestate through increased citizen participa-tion. They utilized a 2007 survey of resi-dents to evaluate two programs: Planeaciny Presupuesto Particpativo (Planning andParticipatory Budgeting) andAdministracinTransparente y Control Social (TransparentManagement and Social Control). They

found that Medellns citywide investmentsin human capital, such as libraries, security,


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and parks, increased social capital and thewell-being of residents.

We follow up on this study to see if thisoptimism continues in later years, usingMedelln Cmo Vamossurveys to provide sub-jective evidence of impact. The overall samplesize for each survey is approximately 1500,

of which sixty participants reside in Popularand fifty-five reside in Santa Cruz. It is alsoimportant to note that although the survey isrepresentative at the municipal level overall,it is not at the level of the comuna. Despitescoring lower on most socioeconomic indi-cators than the city as a whole in 2008,more residents of Popular and Santa Cruzresponded with Very satisfied than the cityaverage (Table 2).

The responses of residents in Popular

and Santa Cruz in the satisfied categoriesdeclined in 2009. Most likely this is due tothe citywide doubling of homicides from2008 to 2009. By 2011, residents again weremore enthusiastic about Medelln than thecitywide population. Given the low socioeco-nomic status of the residents of Popular andSanta Cruz, this suggests that despite contin-uing problems in the community, residentsstill are satisfied with the city.

Other questions, presented in Table 3,relate to public spaces and general civility.

Library parks create an inclusive environ-ment of leisure and learning. In Medelln,the new library parks are located in the poor-est areas, giving local residents access toresources they never thought possible, suchas computers and the Internet. Althoughthese public spaces are generally held in

high esteem throughout the city, there wasan even higher perception of civic responsi-bility toward public spaces such as librariesand parks in Popular and Santa Cruz.

Residents enthusiasm peaked in 2007when the Biblioteca Espaa opened, althoughcitywide ratings of civic responsibility fell in2008 and 2009.

Interestingly, Table 4 indicates that resi-dents of Popular and Santa Cruz also reporthigher compliance and respect for the basic

rules of civility than general residents ofMedelln in the year that the library opened.Similarly, in Table 5, residents report ahigher respect for life in 2007 in Popular andSanta Cruz than in Medelln.

The 2009 decline in perceived respect forlife is likely due to the violence from resur-gent paramilitary groups, as well as a broaderincrease in violent crime during this timeperiod. However, by 2011, as the violence

abated, the residents of Popular and SantaCruz again report higher respect for life than

Very unsatisfed 2 Neither 4 Very satisfed Year

Medelln 0.73 0.79 5.8 23.02 69.66 2008

Medelln 0.8 2.13 12.07 33.33 51.67 2009

Medelln 0.93 2.38 17.94 30.77 47.98 2010Medelln 0.39 1.51 11.95 42.94 43.40 2011

Popular/Santa Cruz 0.87 0.87 7.83 11.30 79.13 2008

Popular/Santa Cruz 0 2.61 18.26 29.57 49.57 2009



Table 2:How satisfied are you with Medelln as a city to live in?Medelln Cmo Vamos p4 2009, CV1 2010/11 Qu tan insatisfecho(a) o satisfecho(a) se

siente Usted con Medelln como una ciudad para vivir, en una escala de 1 a 5, donde 1 esmuy insatisfech(a) y 5 es muy satifecho(a)? Puede utilizar cualquier nmero de la escala.


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the city average. Finally, the survey askedabout respect for the displaced. Results are

represented in Table 6. With the exceptionof 2008, residents of Popular and Santa Cruzreport higher respect for the displaced than

residents of the city in general. The 2009increase in homicides notwithstanding,

these surveys portray optimism and levelof satisfaction with civic life that may besurprising to some, given the communitys

Very bad 2 3 4 Very good Year

Medelln 7.60 17.71 34.77 30.34 9.32 2006

Medelln 7.02 15.24 36.98 33.93 6.30 2007

Medelln 5.61 12.01 35.95 33.71 12.73 2008

Medelln 8.47 20.93 33.33 30.13 7 2009

Medelln 4.17 11.32 47.85 30.31 6.35 2010

Medelln 3.87 13.99 45.57 30.86 5.71 2011





Popular/Santa Cruz 0.88 10.53 57.89 24.56 6.14 2010Popular/Santa Cruz 6.09 20.87 43.48 22.61 6.96 2011

Table 3:How would you rate civic responsibility toward public spaces?Medelln Cmo Vamos (p53_1 2006 and 2007, p70a in 2008, 80a_a 2009, RC3_1 2010/2011)

Ahora le voy a mencionar algunos aspectos referentes a la responsabilidad ciudadana.Cmo calificara usted cada uno de ellos en una escala de 1 a 5 donde 1es muy malo y 5 esmuy bueno: Cuidado y respeto de los espacios pblicos (parques, andenes, teatros)


Medelln 3.70 12.43 41.44 32.39 9.52 2006

Medelln 3.18 11.27 46.92 32.80 5.04 2007

Medelln 4.49 11.61 37.01 36.74 10.16 2008

Medelln 16.81 25.35 35.01 18.46 4.37 2010

Medelln 3.61 19.70 49.05 24.36 3.28 2011





Table 4:How would you rate respect of basic rules of civility?Medelln Cmo Vamos Respeto de las normas bsicas de convivencia en Medelln (p53_3 .

70c in 2008, RC4_1 2010)


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violent past and relative poverty. Anotherset of questions in Table 7addresses crime

and security. Once again, despite recentincreases in violence, citizens of Popular andSanta Cruz report a level of perceived secu-

rity that is higher than the city overall, withthe exception of 2010.

Table 8presents victimization rates. Whenasked if people have been actually victimized,there appears to be little crime in Popular and


Medelln 8.13 16.13 35.03 31.33 9.19 2006

Medelln 7.69 19.88 37.51 28.50 6.16 2007

Medelln 6.93 16.09 32.32 32.59 12.07 2008

Medelln 16.93 28.47 31.27 18.73 4.6 2009

Medelln 5.69 15.49 40.90 30.51 7.41 2010

Medelln 16.61 26.76 36.18 17.07 3.35 2011






Table 5:How would you rate respect for life?Medelln Cmo Vamos (p53_13 p70m in 2008, p80bb_a 2009, RC4_2 in 2010/11)) El respeto

a la vida


Medelln 9.19 20.29 36.75 22.14 9.45 2006

Medelln 8.28 21.87 39.70 23.53 5.10 2007Medelln 7.45 15.5 31.99 33.38 11.68 2008

Medelln 14 29.07 35.07 17.93 3.73 2009

Medelln 7.15 18.00 48.64 21.71 4.50 2010

Medelln 7.09 20.16 45.70 24.03 3.02 2011






Table 6:How would you rate respect for the displaced?Medelln Cmo Vamos (p53_16 p70p, 80bb_d 2009, RC4_6 2010/11). Respeto por los desp-

lazados


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Santa Cruz. In fact, in May 2010, the authorswere able to walk, without escort or concern,throughout the neighborhood. The plazas

and parks were filled with children playingand others enjoying the spaces. Althoughreports of personal victimization increased

in 2009, reported crime has remained lowerthan the city average most years. When askedabout general security trends, again we seemore optimism in these communities inTable 9.

Interestingly, the 2006 survey also showsevidence of confidence in the police. Of thosewho said the security presence had improved,71 per cent credited increased institutionalpresence. Similarly, when asked what wouldincrease their confidence in security, more

people responded with a request to increasethe police presence (48 per cent) than anyother response.

In terms of service provision for the city ofMedelln, the rhetoric of inclusion and equal-ity appears to have translated into improve-ments evident in objective indicators. Forexample, in Popular, 100 per cent of itshomes have power, water, and trash collec-tion. 98.84 per cent of them have sewer ser-

vice. Santa Cruz has 100 per cent of coveragein its homes of these four essential services.This is impressive especially given the rela-

Nada 2 3 4 Mucho Year

Medelln 1.92% 4.03% 17.91% 45.47% 30.67% 2006

Medelln 1.86 3.91 21.74 46.92 25.45 2007

Medelln 3.43 4.02 18.27 34.43 39.84 2008

Medelln 5.33 8 24.93 34.93 26.80 2009

Medelln 7.08 9.86 28.19 32.63 22.24 2010

Medelln 3.55 7.22 22.98 42.98 23.31 2011






Table 7:How secure is your neighborhood?Medelln Cmo Vamos De 1 a 5, donde 1 es nada y 5 es mucho, qu tan seguro dira Ud. que

es su barrio? (Q49 p67 in 2008/9, VS8 in 2010/2011)

Yes No Year

Medelln 9.25 90.75 2006

Medelln 10.67 89.33 2007Medelln 8.77 91.23 2008

Medelln 11.67 88.33 2009

Medelln 11.78 88.22 2010

Medelln 10.11 89.89 2011

Popular/Santa Cruz 3.36 96.65 2006



Popular/Santa Cruz 11.30 88.70 2009Popular/Santa Cruz 8.77 91.23 2010


Table 8: Have you been a victim of crimeduring the last year?

Medelln Cmo Vamos (P 52d p142 in 2008/9,VS11 in 2010/11) Durante el ltimo aousted ha sido vctima de algn delito?


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tive poverty of the neighborhoods (all homesare in either the low or very low socioeco-nomic estrato).

In 2004, Medelln has a quality of life

index score of 82.2, compared to 73.5 inPopular and 75.9 in Santa Cruz. By 2011, thecitys score had increased to 83.5. The scoresof Popular and Santa Cruz had increased to76 and 79.2, respectively. In other words,even while the citys index has improved inthe last seven years, these two poor comu-nas are catching up. Given the improve-ment in services, increased city spending,and inclusive policies, it is not surprising

that citizens regard their community andthe local government more positively thanone would expect given their low socioeco-nomic status. The increased resources andoutreach to these historically marginalizedneighborhoods has had a clear impact onthe community.

ConclusionCan state capacity and comprehensive infra-structure improvements at the local level

have a broad impact in poor and violentcommunities? Efforts to extend progress tothe most historically marginalized commu-nities are exemplified by the constructionof Biblioteca Espaa in Medelln. The sur-vey results reveal that citizens of comunasPopular and Santa Cruz perceive their situ-ation to be improving at a faster rate thanthose of the city in general. Additionally, theperceived improvements coincide with the

opening of the library park, suggesting that ithad a direct and positive impact on the comu-nas. The library parks impact is likely to have

been augmented by other city-wide improve-ments. Although local trends must be exam-ined within a broader context, Medelln hasbeen the site of innovative local plans that

have improved the lives of some of its poor-est citizens. Previously, Holmes, Gutierrezde Pieres and Curtin (2008) stressed theimportance of comprehensive progress thatsimultaneously pursues military dominance,improved state capacity, a strong politi-cal community, and economic growth. Thecity of Medelln has taken advantage of theopportunities created by both decentraliza-tion and the improved security situation

to create and implement bold plans forimproved quality of life even in some of themost troubled parts of the city. As Fiszbein(1997: 1039) concluded after an early assess-ment of Colombian decentralization, A suc-cessful effort to build local capacity requiresmunicipiosto have the autonomy and secu-rity needed to make long-term commit-ments. The imperfect progress in marginal-ized urban areas such as these two comunasbodes well for the consolidation of security,

improved quality of life, and the promotionof long-term development in Colombia. Thebroader lesson for other countries and cit-ies facing similar challenges is that leader-ship and reforms do have the potential toimprove the quality of life, even in the mosthumble and previously troubled areas.

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How to cite this article: Holmes, J and Gutirrez de Pieres, S 2013 Medellns Biblioteca Espaa:Progress in Unlikely Places. Stability: International Journal of Security & Development, 3(1): 2,pp. 1-13, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/sta.cz

Published:21 January 2014

Copyright: 2014 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of theCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY 3.0), which permits unrestricted use,distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

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