Medellin - The City That Went Green to Keep Fresh and Cool
Medellin, one of Colombia's most picturesque tourist cities, managed to cool down significantly within just three years. The secret? Trees, trees, trees, and hundreds of green plants. This lush greenery is responsible for much of the coolness and freshness felt in the city today, despite it being a tropical city that can get very hot at certain times of the year. How did the city achieve this remarkable level of greenness? Keep reading to find out.
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Medellin - The City of Green Corridors
The 'green corridors' in Medellin, which replicate a forest environment, are reducing the city's temperature, with projections of up to a five-degree Celsius drop over the next few decades. Known as the city of eternal spring due to its mild year-round climate, Medellin has managed to stay cool despite global warming.
In the past, Medellin's rapid urban growth caused a significant urban heat island effect, raising the city's temperature higher than that of surrounding suburban and rural areas. Unlike green spaces, concrete infrastructure like roads is much better at absorbing and retaining solar heat.
Pilar Vargas, a forest engineer working for City Hall, remarked:
“Medellin grew at the expense of green spaces and vegetation. We built and built and built. There wasn’t a lot of thought about the impact on the climate. It became obvious that had to change.”
Green Changes That Come With Great Effort and Time
In 2016, under Mayor Federico Gutiérrez (re-elected in 2023), Medellin started a new urban development strategy focused on people and vegetation. This $16.3 million initiative led to the creation of thirty Green Corridors along the city's roads and waterways, enhancing or creating over 70 hectares of green space, including 20 kilometers of shaded paths with bike lanes and pedestrian walkways.
These plant- and tree-filled areas provide cool, fresh air, connecting various green spaces like parks, squares, sidewalks, vertical gardens, and even some of the seven hills surrounding the city. The corridors, filled with native and tropical plants, bamboo grasses, and palm trees, are designed to resemble a natural forest.
A Model for Green Initiatives
Visitors to Medellin will notice that not only are the streets filled with greenery, but many buildings, restaurants, and hotels are adorned with lush plants. The project's success in cooling the city has gained international recognition. Besides lowering temperatures, it has restored wildlife to the city and has the potential to improve air quality.
With growing concerns about climate change-related heatwaves, especially in urban areas where the heat island effect can worsen conditions, Medellin's green corridors offer a popular, cost-effective solution that other cities are beginning to replicate. Could this be a model for future cities resilient to climate change?
Did you know that the trees in the corridors act as green barriers, absorbing significant amounts of pollution? Some species used in Medellin, like the Mango Tree (Mangifera Indica), are particularly efficient at this. The project includes about 124 parks connected by the 30 green corridors, enriched with fresh greenery. The increase in greenery throughout the city benefits both the natural environment and its residents, creating a win-win situation.
