A Tale of Dual Cities: The Urban Miracle and Humanitarian Crisis Maps of Medellín (2002–2015)

Abstract

This article explores the humanitarian optics of urban securitization in Latin American cities that are characterized by very high rates of homicide and urban violence. In response to this situation, an urban security model has emerged aimed at reducing crime, managing citizens’ fear and promoting urban development and social inclusion. The key vectors of this model are urban development, citizen security and securitization. This article explores the transformation of Medellín, the second largest city in Colombia, a city under siege from narco-gang violence with extreme levels of urban violence to features associated with being a globalized city. It examines two contemporary maps of Medellín: the “urban miracle map” and the “humanitarian crisis map,” which coexist as radically different perspectives of “seeing like a city” and “seeing like an international humanitarian organization.” The article explores these maps as the product of the interdependence of neoliberal urbanization and urban securitization which manage the spatial divide between the formal and informal city.