After officials of the Mayor’s Office and the Council of Medellín visited Paris in January 2017 to participate in the first phase of the project “Urban Dialogue Paris – Medellín: for sustainable mobility,” the second phase of the project starts with the visit of officials from the Mayor’s Office of Paris, the International Relations and Mobility Directorates and the Parisian Urbanism Workshop (APUR).
The presentations of Human Mobility experiences in both cities and field visits to tactical urbanism experiences, as in the case of the activations for sustainable mobility in the Playa Avenue, are contemplated.
ACI Medellín held dialogues with Adré-Marie Bourlon , Head of the Paris Mission in Medellín, about the cooperation process between both cities. Mr. Bourlon is an urban planner with more than 30 years of experience and is APUR’s current Deputy Director. He has directed large urban operations such as Bercy, Paris Rive Gauche and Paris Nord Est, Public Bicycles (Velib) and the Public Electric Car System (Autolib).
Why are you interested in Medellín?
“My relations with Colombia are from about 10 years ago. I have worked and advised cities like Bogota and Barranquilla. I even participated in the Plan BIO 20-30 with Medellín through the University EAFIT. This is not my first visit to the city. On this occasion, I have come with colleagues from the Mobility and International Relations Directorates from the Mayor of Paris, to continue this process of dialogue between both cities around human mobility.
Which positive aspects do you highlight from Medellín’s mobility?
“Perhaps Medellín has the best experience in public transport intermodality from Latin America since the city has Metro, Metrocable, Metro Plus and the new tram. It is also worth mention that, unlike ours, Medellín has the capacity to develop projects in a very brief time, as was the case of the Public Bicycle System. In Paris, it took three years for the system to be in operation and in Medellín the process has been progressive, but faster. “
Paris is a world benchmark in urbanism and mobility, what could Medellín learn from Paris in this matter?
“I believe that Medellín could learn from Paris:
- Favoring the pedestrian and ensuring the connection of people with public transport, such as access to the Metro.
- Management of public parking and control of public space.
- The provision of more environmentally friendly means of transport that prevent pollution.
- Use of soil recovery instruments.”
What’s next in the process of cooperation between Medellín and Paris?
“The project finishes this stage with our visit. However, the next step is the search for resources to finance projects in Medellín with the help of the French Government through the French Development Agency – AFD. We will hold a meeting with the Embassy of France in Colombia to examine these possibilities.
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