The archive · Public & Social · Product decision · 2011
Medellín installs outdoor escalator in 2011 for poor Comuna 13.
Medellín built a free 384-meter escalator in Comuna 13, cutting a 35-minute climb to 6 minutes.
City of Medellín (Alcaldía de Medellín)
What it had to solve
Comuna 13 is one of Medellín's steepest and once most violent neighborhoods; residents for generations entered and left by climbing hundreds of concrete steps, and CBS, citing city officials, said this was equivalent to climbing a 28-story building every day; ordinary buses cannot go up such steep hills.
How it works
On December 26, 2011, Medellín inaugurated a 384-meter outdoor escalator in Comuna 13. The area had 12,000 residents who climbed stairs equal to a 28-story building daily. The escalator cut the 35-minute climb to 6 minutes and was free.
The escalator had 6 sections, up and down lanes, orange canopies, costing $6.7M. It used everyday technology in a poor hillside, serving pedestrians not vehicles. Each section had entrances at different heights. Salazar called it a world first; Rio officials planned visits.
The escalator was part of 'social urbanism' with metro and cable cars. After opening, murals covered walls, and Medellín was named 'Most Innovative City' in 2013.
Residents found daily tasks easier. Schindler reported 12,000 residents felt reconnected. By 2025, 15,000 tourists visited daily, turning the escalator into an attraction.
Why it lands
- Moving mature technology to the least likely setting makes engineering innovation low-cost and communication low-cost.
- The free, segmented entrance-and-exit design directed public investment directly to the residents who needed it most.
- The photogenic orange canopies and graffiti gave the infrastructure built-in communication power and made it a city calling card.
- The escalator, metro, and cable cars formed a network, upgrading individual projects into an urban transformation narrative.
What it did
Commute time fell from 35 minutes to 6 minutes; elevator manufacturer Schindler said it made 12,000 residents feel reconnected to the city; Medellín was named 'World's Most Innovative City' in 2013; Telemedellin reported in 2025 that about 15,000 tourists now visit Comuna 13 every day, and the escalator has become a symbol of the poor neighborhood's transformation.
What you can take
Move familiar technology to unlikely places to solve overlooked problems; the project became a city icon.
Since then
Comuna 13 became a model of social urbanism, with murals and tourism. Medellín won 'Most Innovative City' in 2013. By 2025, 15,000 tourists visited daily; 12,000 residents benefited. The city overhauled the escalator in 2025. Critics noted overlooked community culture, but delegations from Rio studied it.
Sources
- Colombian city gets giant, outdoor escalator
- Urban mobility transforms Medellin neighborhood
- Escaleras eléctricas de la comuna 13, un beneficio para la comunidad que transformó el paisaje
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.
Your turn
You just read one. Describe the brief you are staring at, and see who has been given the same problem.
Free account · 3 free questions · no card