Medellín Colombia: Immense improvements but still fragile

The Guardian.com reported…Medellín flaunted its makeover as it hosted UN Habitat’s World Urban Forum with tours of futuristic schools and libraries, parks and city cable cars – but some old problems remain
Residents of Medellín’s poorest slums used to be suspicious of strangers. Who in their right minds would be wandering the winding steps up the steep slopes of their neighborhoods, controlled by local criminal gangs so violent that even police feared to go there?

Today, the people of the Santo Domingo-Savio neighbourhood have become accustomed to a steady stream of outsiders. The visitors arrive on the cable car public transport system, stroll past modest brick homes and visit the España Library and Park – a potent symbol of the Colombian city’s much lauded transformation from murder capital of the world to model of urban social integration. Read Article