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The escalator of Comuna 13 is 93 meters long and lifts passengers 38 meters up. It replaced 357 stairs residents had to take to get to their homes. It opened in 2012 and was built for $5.5 million US dollars. The city’s vision was that the escalator would move 12,000 people per day and reconnect previously isolated areas. But did it meet the transportation needs of local residents?
Resources on this topic:
Planners and the Pride Factor: The Case of the Electric Escalator in Medellín: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/blar.12665 (You need to have academic access, sorry for those who don’t. 🙁 )
‘A Sea of Tears and Impunity’: Victims Still Searching for Justice 14 Years After Infamous Colombia Military Operation: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-sea-of-tears-impunity-victims-still-searching_us_580a1eace4b0f8715789f93c
Story of cities #42: Medellín escapes grip of drug lord to embrace radical urbanism: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/may/13/story-cities-pablo-escobar-inclusive-urbanism-medellin-colombia
Medellin’s Turbulent Comuna 13: https://www.insightcrime.org/investigations/medellins-turbulent-comuna-13/
How giant outdoor escalators transformed a Colombian neighborhood: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/colombia-medellin-neighborhood/index.html
Medellin’s Comuna 13 is riding escalators to a better future: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/destinations/medellins-comuna-13-is-riding-escalators-to-a-better-future/article29706095/
Medellin Inaugurates Giant Outdoor Escalator: https://www.npr.org/2011/12/27/144306971/the-last-word-in-business
Produced in sunny Sacramento, California.
Filmed on location in Medellín, Colombia.
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