Medellin hosts the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum (WEF) on Latin America recently met in Medellin, Colombia, with a leading role for IASP member Ruta N.

Over 800 regional leaders, (including the presidents of Argentina and Colombia and the Spanish prime minister), government ministers, business leaders and investors, as well as representatives of the World Bank, the Interamerican Development Bank, the International Labour Organisation and the UN Population Fund, gathered to discuss how to achieve inclusive sustainable growth in the region. Medellin was chosen as host city as an internationally recognised example of the kind of social and economic change that can reduce crime and improve quality of life for all its citizens, especially the poorest.

The forum included visits around the city to illustrate some of the reasons why Colombia is becoming a top international business destination. Medellin has been transformed in the last 20 years, and WEF attendees were shown some of the most emblematic signs of its urban redevelopment. This included a visit to the ecological Arvi Park, opened in 2010 and connected to the city by cable cars; and the Comuna 13 district with its unique outdoor escalators that have radically reduced travel time to the city centre and revitalised poor neighbourhoods.

This innovative urban infrastructure now attract tourists to the area and walking tours admire the city's graffiti art. Another ingredient of the urban turnaround is the creation of public spaces designed to bring people together such as the ‘library parks' – large libraries surrounded by green parkland for public use in the more marginalized parts of the city.

As well as becoming a tourist destination, the city has been labelled ‘Latin America's Silicon Valley' on the back of its new status as a tech hub, winning the Wall Street Journal/Citi most innovative city award in 2012. The Ruta N innovation complex, nestled between Medellin Botanical Gardens and the hills, is one of the most visible signs of this.

Ruta N serves as a platform for businesses and investors to set up and grow, and supports an ecosystem where innovation and connections continue to increase the region's competitiveness. CEO Alejandro Franco addressed the forum, presenting the Ruta N project and accompanying a group of delegates on a visit for a first hand view of how innovation has changed the city.

For more information on the work of Ruta N, please visit www.rutanmedellin.org.