Creating a greener, cooler and healthier Medellín

The Green Corridors programme in Medellín has significantly reduced urban temperatures and air pollution while creating employment and public spaces.

• The Green Corridors project reduced urban temperatures in specific locations between 2016 and 2019, with average air temperatures dropping from 31.6C to 27.1C and average surface temperatures decreasing by over 10 degrees, from 40.5C to 30.2°C. This was achieved by planting almost 880,000 trees and 2.5 million smaller plants along former waterways and busy streets.
• The initiative led to measurable improvements in air quality and public health from 2016 to 2019. Particulate pollutant PM 2.5 fell from 21.81 µg/m3 to 20.26 µg/m3, PM 10 fell from 46.04 µg/m3 to 40.4 µg/m3, and ozone levels dropped from 30.1 µg/m3 to 26.32 µg/m3. Consequently, the morbidity rate for acute respiratory infections decreased from 159.8 to 95.3 per thousand inhabitants.
• The programme generated social and economic benefits, including the creation of 1.5 million m2 of public space and the employment of 2,600 workers. Additionally, 107 individuals from disadvantaged communities received training as gardeners and planting technicians through the city's botanical gardens.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2021). Creating a greener, cooler and healthier Medellín. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/creating-a-greener-cooler-and-healthier-medellin

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Creating a greener, cooler and healthier Medellín. 2021. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/creating-a-greener-cooler-and-healthier-medellin.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Creating a greener, cooler and healthier Medellín |date=4 June 2021 |url=https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/creating-a-greener-cooler-and-healthier-medellin |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2021creating, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Creating a greener, cooler and healthier Medellín}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/creating-a-greener-cooler-and-healthier-medellin}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }