The case of Empresas Públicas de Medellín

The document analyzes how Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), a hybrid public-private utility company, contributed to reducing violence and inequality in Medellín through financial support for social urbanism and the creation of participatory public spaces. It highlights the symbiotic relationship between EPM and the municipal government, noting that EPM's investments in vulnerable areas improved both city security and the company's own operational profitability.

• Medellín's transformation from one of the world's most violent cities in the 1990s to a model of 'social urbanism' was driven by a multi-stakeholder coalition that utilized inclusive mobility and public space interventions to build peace.
• Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) is a unique hybrid entity, wholly owned by the government of Antioquia but operating as a private company, which allows it to act as a multinational 'multilatina' while remaining answerable to the state.
• EPM provided critical financial backing for Medellín's social urbanism by earmarking 30% of its annual profits for the municipal budget to fund social interventions, including libraries, parks, and Metrocable gondolas.
• Since 2012, EPM has implemented 'Unidades de Vida Articulada' (UVAs), which transform former closed water storage tanks into participatory public spaces that provide education and childcare in marginalized communities.
• Peacebuilding activities provided direct economic and operational benefits to EPM by reducing violence in territories, which decreased theft and allowed the company to formalize water and power connections for low-income households.
• Despite the 'Medellín Miracle' narrative, critics point to the commodification of water in informal neighborhoods and the risk that social urbanism has become a strategy to attract global capital rather than a purely internal social project.

APA

Hoelscher, K. (2019). The case of Empresas Públicas de Medellín. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0b2dacfc-3e44-4f1c-a2b3-95c7820af279/Hoelscher Kristian - Business Politics and Urban Peacebuilding in Colombia PRIO Policy Brief 12-2019.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Hoelscher, Kristian. The case of Empresas Públicas de Medellín. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2019. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0b2dacfc-3e44-4f1c-a2b3-95c7820af279/Hoelscher Kristian - Business Politics and Urban Peacebuilding in Colombia PRIO Policy Brief 12-2019.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoelscher |first1=Kristian |title=The case of Empresas Públicas de Medellín |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2019 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0b2dacfc-3e44-4f1c-a2b3-95c7820af279/Hoelscher Kristian - Business Politics and Urban Peacebuilding in Colombia PRIO Policy Brief 12-2019.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hoelscher2019case, author = {Hoelscher, Kristian}, title = {{The case of Empresas Públicas de Medellín}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2019}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0b2dacfc-3e44-4f1c-a2b3-95c7820af279/Hoelscher Kristian - Business Politics and Urban Peacebuilding in Colombia PRIO Policy Brief 12-2019.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }