An Example for Detroit

Over the last year and half I have introduced readers to many of the unique and wonderful things about Colombia. It is no longer the Colombia of its past, but of the future. Now the country has another feather in its cap. Last Friday Citi, the Marketing Services Department of the Wall Street Journal along with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) chose Medellin, Colombia as the most innovative city in the entire world. The list originally had 200 cities including New York and Tel Aviv.

 For native English speakers the name is often mispronounced because of the double “L.” In Spanish it is pronounced like a “Y” in English (med-eh-yean). Though sometimes it sounds to me like people are saying Mary Jean.

 By now some readers are thinking they have heard the name before. Well it was the home of Pablo Escobar and the other members of the Medellin drug cartel. In the 1980’s and 1990’s the city was frequently reported as the most dangerous city in the world. Some may remember the soccer player from Medellin that was murdered after a ball accidentally deflected into his own goal during a World Cup match against the USA. It is believed his murder was at the hands of drug lords who lost money on the game.

 Medellin is the city of eternal summer. Temperatures year-round are in the 70’s. Lush vegetation grows easily all year.

 Since those dark days much has changed to earn the city its award. Medellin is more organized than Bogotá. Violent crime has dropped by 90%. Its transportation system won international awards. It has taken steps in many areas to enrich the entire community.

 The over two million residents (often referred to as Paisas) are considered some of the hardest working in Colombia. The city houses the majority of the fabric production of the country. Each year it hosts a fashion shown known throughout Latin America.

 There has been a concentrated effort to help the poorer neighborhoods with things like schools and excellent libraries. The whole community benefits from investment in museums and public spaces.

 While the current mayor, Anibal Gaviria, is taking the bows and doing interviews, in my opinion it is a teacher turned politician who made the biggest impact. Sergio Fajardo occupied Medellin’s top spot from 2003-2007. He fought the many naysayers to initiate and bring to fruition his vision of the turnaround of the city.

 Though Detroit’s problems are slightly different, it is my belief that the city can take a lesson from Medellin about returning to grandeur. It is going to take a visionary who focuses on the enrichment of the citizens, has the tenacity to dismiss the doubters and takes the hard line to shutting down corruption.