Advances and dilemmas of social participation in la Herrera project in the light of recent urban and housing policy, Medellin - Colombia

Abstract

The urban transformations that have occurred in Medellin, Colombia, in the last years constitute an unprecedented scenario in combating the urban precariousness and informality, primary features of the periphery countries. This fact stands out even more to combat the problem integrally and with the broad participation of the population. Although the Latin American contemporary urban context indicates the need for researches that seek to exchange experiences in combating the precariousness and informality of their cities, there are very few systematic studies that focus on this approach. The objective of this research is to understand the advances and dilemmas concerning social participation in La Herrera urban intervention project, Medellin, Colombia, implemented in the last decade as part of the Integral Urban Project of the Northeastern Zone (PUI-NOR). In this sense, the research proposes: a) understand the type of city and degree of precariousness in which the project was implemented; b) critical analysis of the methodology of social participation used; c) the relationship between this methodology and the implemented project d) the relationship that occurs today among the population of the intervention area and the city. This project stems from research of number 2014/01328-2, coordinated by the teacher Maria de Lourdes Zuquim (FAU), dedicated to the study of socio-economic and physical urbanistic aspects of recent interventions in slums in Sao Paulo and Medellin and their effects on territorial transformations.