Table Of ContentSocial Urbanism and the Politics of Violence
DOI: 10.1057/9781137397362.0001
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137397362.0001
Social Urbanism and
the Politics of Violence:
The Medellín Miracle
Kate Maclean
Lecturer in Social Geography, Birkbeck,
University of London, UK
DOI: 10.1057/9781137397362.0001
Copyright © Kate Maclean 2015
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-39736-2
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
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permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
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Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2015 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire, RG21 6XS.
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ISBN: 978–1–137–39736–2 PDF
ISBN: 978-1-349-48492-5
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www.palgrave.com/pivot
doi: 10.1057/9781137397362
Contents
List of Figures vi
Acknowledgements vii
List of Abbreviations ix
Introduction: The Medellín Miracle 1
1 The Politics of Violence and Urbanism 10
2 Medellín: The Most Violent City
in the World 29
3 The Miracle? Social Urbanism 53
4 Behind the Miracle 78
5 New Political Spaces 98
Conclusion 121
References 125
Index 143
DOI: 10.1057/9781137397362.0001 v
List of Figures
1 Homicide rate per 100,000 population in
Medellín and Colombia, 1980–2012 2
2 Map of the comunas of Medellín 32
vi DOI: 10.1057/9781137397362.0002
Acknowledgements
Many, many thanks are due to all those who gave their
support, both in Colombia and in the United Kingdom,
during the development of this project. First, I am eter-
nally grateful to all the participants in this research for
giving so generously of their time. I would also like to
acknowledge the support of staff at the Sub-Secretariat for
Women in Medellín, and in particular Liliana Escobar, Luz
Nely Osorno, Isabel Agudelo, and Marta Celia Hoyos, for
allowing me insight into the truly amazing work that they
do; the members of the Comité Intergremial de Antioquia,
especially Carlos Mario Echeverri, for the warm welcome
they extended to me on each of my visits to their city;
Mario Enrique Vargas and Carlos Andrés Jiménez of the
Escuela de Administración, Finanzas y Tecnología [School
of Administration, Finance and Technology – EAFIT] for
organising the seminar ‘Rompiendo el Cristal’ [‘Breaking
the Glass Ceiling’] at which I spoke in October 2011,
and for showing me the work of EAFIT Social; Milford
Bateman for first introducing me to Medellín and for our
work together on numerous subsequent projects; Jonathan
Glennie at the Overseas Development Institute for his
insights and support on fieldwork; and Enrique Castañon
Ballivián for providing excellent interview transcriptions
as well as assistance throughout the research process.
In the United Kingdom, I would like to extend thanks
to all at the Developmental Leadership Program (DLP),
whose generous funding made this research possible, and
in particular deepest gratitude goes to the late Adrian
Leftwich, the DLP’s founding Director of Research, whose
DOI: 10.1057/9781137397362.0003 vii
viii Acknowledgements
experience, expertise, and enthusiasm run throughout this project. Also
at the DLP, David Hudson of University College London generously
gave insights and detailed feedback, and Heather Lyne de Ver was a
fount of patience and administrative support. My publisher at Palgrave
Macmillan – Christina Brian – has been encouraging and extremely
efficient from the outset. I would also like to thank colleagues in the
Geography, Environment and Development Department at Birkbeck for
providing such a constructive working atmosphere – not to mention all
the cakes. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family for their
support, patience, and comments on this book, and in particular my
mum and dad, not only for their unfailing confidence in me, but also for
all those lively political discussions about Thomas Hobbes.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137397362.0003
List of Abbreviations
AUC Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia
[United Self-Defence Forces of
Colombia]
BCN Bloque Cacique Nutibara [Cacique
Nutibara Block, a paramilitary group]
BRIC countries Brazil, Russia, India, China
CEDEZOs Centros de Desarrollo Empresarial
Zonal [Zonal Business Development
Centres]
CJA Centre for Justice and Accountability
COOSERCOM Cooperativa de Vigilancia y Servicio a la
Comunidad [Cooperative Surveillance
and Community Service]
EAFIT Escuela de Administración, Finanzas y
Tecnología [School of Administration,
Finance and Technology]
ELN Ejército de Liberación Nacional
[National Liberation Army]
EPM Empresas Publicas de Medellín [Public
Companies of Medellín]
FARC Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de
Colombia [Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia]
GEA Grupo Empresarial Antioqueño
[Antioquian Business Group]
HDI Human Development Index
IPC Instituto Popular de Capacitación
[Popular Capacitation Institute]
DOI: 10.1057/9781137397362.0004 ix
