the Malecón, an urban gem that captivated the OECD
📅 🕐 10 Jul 2025🔗 Fuente: eltiempo.com🕑 5 min de lectura
Compartir:
0
Barranquilla showed itself at its best during the OECD Global Forum on Local Development. It was not in an auditorium or panel rooms where the spirit of the event was most felt, but in the open air, on an immersive tour of the Gran Malecón del Río, the city’s emblem that symbolizes its urban transformation and reconciliation with nature.
Along the more than five kilometers of the riverside promenade, dozens of international attendees walked, took photographs, greeted Barranquilla residents, and discovered how an industrial city that for decades had turned its back on the river has reinvented itself with one of the most impressive public works projects in Colombia.
It has been wonderful, of course, to see the entire city reconciling itself with the river. It is a spectacular sight.
Luis Fernando MedinaColombian Ambassador to the OECD
The Colombian ambassador to the OECD, Luis Fernando Medina, admired the breadth of the promenade and its integration with the landscape. “It’s quite moving to think that Barranquilla spent so long polluting the river and turning its back on it, when rivers are a source of tranquility and a natural wonder. It’s fantastic to see how the urban landscape is reconnecting with nature.”
A story with experience for the world
‘El Gran Malecón’ of Barranquilla is an icon of the city’s transformation. Foto:El Tiempo
The Malecón del Río is much more than a strip of concrete and trees: it is a place for meeting, recreation, and remembrance. Its design includes pedestrian paths, bike lanes, green areas, viewpoints, and a wide range of cultural and gastronomic offerings.
Since 2017, when its first phase was inaugurated, it has become one of the most visited places in the country, with more than 15 million people registered up to 2024, according to figures from the Mayor’s Office.
Along the route, visitors were surprised by details such as the pair of roads connecting the Malecón with the city center, the sculptures narrating the history of the river, and the boats setting sail on tourist tours. The experience was designed as part of the forum’s program of activities to show, in practice, how the concepts of sustainable local development are being implemented.
Visitors share their experience
The Gran Malecón connects with La Loma Island and the Puerta de Oro Convention and Event Center. Foto:El Tiempo
“As the OECD committee organizing this event says, developing an issue is seen in localities. It makes no sense to obsess over macro aggregates if they do not ultimately translate into improvements in people’s lives,” reflected Ambassador Medina, who walked alongside the Peruvian delegation led by Michel Azcueta Gorostiza, first mayor of Villa El Salvador.
Azcueta, who led a community urban planning initiative in his country, was moved by what he found in Barranquilla.
“It’s a wonderful experience. I sincerely congratulate you, not only for the forum, but for what you are showing the world. Getting to know this city and the transformation it is undergoing is encouraging. I hope you continue to be an example for Latin America.”
Culture is also part of the Malecón
The Great Malecón of the Barranquilla River. Foto:El Tiempo
Meanwhile, under the shade of native trees planted along the promenade, Akihiko Yamada, resident representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), spoke in slow, grateful Spanish.
Barranquilla is a very attractive place and well worth a visit. They have worked excellently to achieve this. Today it is a fantastic place.
The atmosphere was festive. Carnival dancers added color to the parade with traditional cumbia dances, and at the much-visited statue of Shakira, a group of young people joined in with hip movements in tribute to the Barranquilla-born singer.
Musicians also played the millo, the flute, and the drum. The celebration was so lively that even the Navy joined in and sang several songs from the Caribbean region.
The gastronomic offerings also added to the tour. The aromas of bollos, butifarras, patacón, shrimp, and fried foods piqued the interest of attendees, many of whom tried corozo juice or an egg arepa for the first time. More than a tourist walk, it was a living lesson in urbanism with a Caribbean soul.
The friendly face of Barranquilla’s development
‘El Gran Malecón’ was inaugurated six years ago. Foto:El Tiempo
The Gran Malecón is now the friendly face of Barranquilla’s development, a place where infrastructure dialogues with the environment and where every step seems to say that it is possible to build more humane cities.
“This forum could not be understood without this walk,” commented an official from the organizing committee as she handed out souvenirs made by local artisans. “This is where words take on meaning.”
Barranquilla, without speeches or figures, spoke from the heart. And it did so with the universal language of a space that inspires, connects, and transforms.
Leidys Rivero Martínez
EL TIEMPO
Editor’s note: This text is an artificially intelligent English translation of the original Spanish version, which can be found here. Any comment, please write to [email protected]
