In summer 2024, we participated in a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education to explore, among other themes, the geography of urban sustainability in Colombia. This journey highlighted the innovative, locally driven solutions that define Colombia’s approach to balancing urban growth with environmental preservation. Too often, the nation of Colombia is viewed through outdated stereotypes, and overlooked as one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, not to mention its leadership in climate initiatives in the Western Hemisphere. Programs like Medellín’s transformative urban projects or Bogotá’s work in the area of inclusive public spaces together reveal how geography and community-driven efforts can coalesce to create more sustainable and equitable solutions.
The Fulbright-Hays Fellowship made these lessons real by combining high-impact, firsthand experiential learning with classroom instruction at universities all around the country. All told, we visited a total of seven post-secondary institutions during our 30 days in the county. Through place-based experiences, a team of 16 participants—ranging from the fields of geography to economics to social work—engaged directly with Colombia’s landscapes, communities, and sustainability projects, allowing us to witness how environmental stewardship can shape real-world sustainable outcomes. These field experiences ultimately served to make geography come alive for our team and allowed us to better understand and potentially contribute to transnational solutions. In short, Colombia’s creative urban programs revealed the ways in which the country might serve as a role model for how to design the world we need in the face of wicked problems.
From the summit of Monserrate, Bogotá’s sprawling landscape presents as a living geographical canvas. The city’s position within the Andes shapes its development patterns, from the compact urban core to the neighborhoods that line the steep hillsides. Geography plays a critical role in shaping both infrastructure and environmental policies, largely because Bogota’s high-altitude location presents unique challenges for air quality, transportation, and access to environmental resources. This perspective underscores how both geography and elevation define urban planning in this vibrant capital city.
The Ciclovía is a powerful example of how we might rethink urban space by prioritizing the geographic relationship between people and their city. Bogotá’s weekly car-free event transforms roads into linear parks, connecting neighborhoods and enabling a spatial sense of community. These corridors allow people (pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, and others) to experience their city in new ways, creating a better sense of community, which in turn has influenced social and environmental health. By reconfiguring streets like the one in this photo for public use, Bogotá underscores the importance of viewing urban spaces as both dynamic and adaptable.
The TransMilenio BRT system is a remarkable example of leveraging geographic efficiency, and much of its success is credited to the vision of Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá. Under Peñalosa’s leadership, the city prioritized public transit over a car-centric infrastructure, introducing dedicated bus lanes that cut through Bogotá’s dense urban grid to minimize travel times and connect far-flung neighborhoods to the city center. The mayor’s focus on spatial equity essentially reshaped the urban landscape, making mobility a possibility for an economically diverse population across the region. Also, by creating a transit system that prioritizes people over cars, the TransMilenio exemplifies how creative urban planning can reduce traffic congestion without impacting economic growth.
Geographically situated at Bogotá’s heart, it is clear the La Candelaria neighborhood serves as a vital connection between the city’s past and present. Its location near the founding sector of the city reinforces its role as a cultural and political epicenter. The district’s compact grid and pedestrian-friendly streets have encouraged sustainable tourism, while the city’s high elevation within the broader Andean landscape assures cooler temperatures that attract international visitors. Understanding La Candelaria’s geography helps explain its resilience and continued importance in Bogotá’s identity.
Medellín’s recent transformation also owes much to its geographic layout. Nestled in the Aburrá Valley, the city’s steep slopes had historically isolated many neighborhoods into enclaves. The new Metrocable system addresses this issue by overcoming vertical barriers, linking hillside communities to the economic heart of the city. Geography is at the core of this solution, and the cable car’s design maximizes connectivity across what was once a challenging terrain. This system has redefined spatial relationships in Medellín, breaking down physical and social barriers and is seen as an international success story.
The geography of Comuna 13 is also central to our story of urban sustainability. Perched on Medellín’s steep western slopes, its location once made it vulnerable to isolation and violence. Today, the murals and escalators that traverse this neighborhood serve as testaments to the ways we can reclaim space through creativity and basic infrastructure. Moreover, by reconnecting Comuna 13 to the rest of Medellín, the city has shifted its spatial dynamics and created new opportunities for residents. Our site visit to Comuna 13 underscored the importance of social sustainability or what Julian Agyeman terms “just” sustainability and equity for all demographics.
Medellín’s Green Corridors demonstrate how thoughtful, community-driven spatial planning can combat urban challenges like the heat island effect. New city corridors now intentionally link existing green spaces, creating continuous ecological pathways that benefit both people and urban wildlife (including monkeys). By rethinking the spatial arrangement of trees and plants in the urban grid, Medellín has been able to cool its streets. This has also created microclimates, substantially improved air quality, and enhanced the aesthetic appeal of its neighborhoods.
Geographically positioned near Medellín’s city center, the botanical gardens serve as a kind of critical green respiratory system for this densely populated urban area. The garden’s proximity to public transportation and residential neighborhoods makes it accessible for schools and tourists, emphasizing the importance of integrating nature into densely populated spaces and not treating them as separate entities. That said, these gardens offer a unique opportunity to explore Colombia’s biodiversity while providing a reprieve from urban life. The garden also reinforces how intentional design can improve urban life by making nature a central element of the cityscape.
The geography of San Andrés, a small island in the Caribbean Sea, is far afield from mainland Colombia but is an important part of the country’s colonial history. Surrounded by coral reefs and sandy beaches, the island is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts like rising sea levels and storm surges. Spatial strategies, such as mangrove reforestation and artificial reef construction, are essential to preserving its coastal integrity. San Andrés also serves as an excellent geographic case study for understanding how small islands can adapt to a rapidly changing climate. The authors were in fact scheduled to visit San Andrés as a side trip, but Hurricane Beryl—the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record—ironically derailed our journey to this important site.
Leticia’s geographic location at the tri-border area of Colombia, Brazil, and Peru makes it a critical hub for Amazonian conservation and development. The city’s unique position within the tropical rainforest—not unlike other cities we visited—sometimes faces age-old tensions between development and ecological preservation. Leticia’s urban planners are working to minimize deforestation, while promoting sustainable tourism and research initiatives focused on community-based tourism that benefits smallholders and fisherfolk. Leticia’s geographic significance as a gateway to one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth highlights the need to co-design smaller municipalities with the needs of indigenous people in mind, while encouraging their input in the design.
Agroforestry in Leticia showcases the interplay between indigenous agricultural systems and the tropical rainforest. By combining crop cultivation alongside native tree species, this approach can mitigate deforestation often associated with some of the more intensive farming strategies. The spatial arrangement of agroforestry plots also has the added benefit of creating corridors for wildlife, which ensures connectivity between forested areas. This geographic balance between human needs and ecological health demonstrates the value of spatial thinking in sustainable land and is in part driven by local community partnerships.
Geography also plays a key role in Medellín’s solar energy initiatives. The city’s location near the equator provides abundant sunlight making it an ideal candidate for renewable energy solutions, not unlike its “sister city” of Phoenix, Arizona. Solar panels on public buildings like libraries and schools and even in a university parking lot that we visited utilize Medellín’s geographic advantages to generate clean energy and reduce dependency on fossil fuels.
The vertical gardens in Bogotá highlight the ways that geography can be reimagined to address environmental challenges. These “living walls” make innovative use of vertical space in what is a densely populated city, objectively reducing air pollution while improving aesthetics. Located on major high-rises, these vertical gardens are strategically placed to maximize air quality in traffic-heavy areas. Also, by integrating nature into the urban skyline, Bogotá is redefining the potential of the built environment.
Medellín’s hybrid electric buses are reshaping the city’s transportation geography by reducing the environmental impact of travel across its hilly terrain. These buses operate on routes that connect key transit hubs, bridging spatial divides between neighborhoods and reducing reliance on private vehicles. This integration of these clean energy solutions into the city’s transit network highlights Medellín’s commitment to sustainability and spatial equity.
Markets like Medellín’s Minorista illustrate the geographic relationship between urban centers and its rural hinterlands. These lively food hubs connect local farmers to city dwellers while reducing food miles and ensuring fresh, seasonal produce for urban consumers. The spatial arrangement of the market, with distinct sections for fruits and vegetables (peppers, pineapples, and potatoes) and artisanal goods also reflects the extraordinary geographic diversity of Colombia’s agricultural regions. By supporting sustainable food systems, markets like Minorista can potentially strengthen the spatial connections between rural and urban areas.
Barranquilla’s historic, strategic location at the confluence of the Magdalena River and the Caribbean Sea has shaped its role as a cultural and economic hub. The city’s new waterfront revitalization projects focus on balancing urban growth with environmental stewardship, transforming the area into a vibrant space for recreation, commerce, and conservation. By integrating green spaces, walkways, and flood-resilient infrastructure, Barranquilla is a prime example of how riverfront cities can adapt to climate challenges while preserving their ecological and cultural traditions.
Barranquilla is at the forefront of coastal resilience with its wetland mangrove restoration efforts near the Mallorquín Swamp or Mallorquín Lagoon. This exciting and ambitious project aims to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems that serve as critical buffers against flooding and storm surges while providing habitats for diverse wildlife. By reintroducing native mangrove species and involving local communities in conservation, Barranquilla is creating an exemplary model for protecting its coastal and wetland environment from storm surge and other threats.
Plaza Bolívar, located at the geographic center of Bogotá, has always been a focal point for civic and cultural life. Surrounded by architecture from the colonial period and once the site of the Muisca Convention, the plaza serves as a space where history and modernity coalesce. Its spatial significance lies in its ability to bring people together in various ways, whether for political protests, cultural celebrations, or smaller family gatherings. As a central node in Bogotá’s urban mosaic, Plaza Bolívar illustrates how geography has the potential to shape sites of power and create a sense of belonging.
In summary, Colombia’s sustainability initiatives combined with the immersive learning opportunities provided by the Fulbright-Hays Program, allowed our group to challenge longstanding narratives about the country while shining light on its role as a global leader in sustainable development. Colombia is in fact one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth and home to some of the most robust climate initiatives in the Western Hemisphere. Programs like Medellín’s Green Corridors, Leticia’s agroforestry systems, and Cartagena’s coastal resilience efforts collectively highlight solutions that draw on deep ecological and cultural knowledge.
The Fulbright Program plays a pivotal role in bringing these transformative experiences to life, combining high-impact experiential learning with classroom instruction to make geography and other disciplines vibrant and relevant. By engaging directly with Colombia’s landscapes, communities, and sustainability efforts, we were able to move beyond theory and witness firsthand how spatial relationships can provide possibilities for creative resource management. This approach enriches our teaching, research, and community engagement in higher education, enabling educators to return home with new worldviews to infuse in our classrooms, not to mention the international partnerships we create along the way.
We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the U.S. Department of Education and the Fulbright-Hays Fellowship program for making this transformative experience possible, with special thanks to Mark Bladel and Matthew Robinson for their guidance and support. We are also profoundly thankful to the Fulbright Commission in Colombia, especially Eden Bolívar, whose expertise and dedication enriched every aspect of this seminar and journey. Their collective efforts have been instrumental in fostering opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and advancing our understanding of Colombia’s creative grassroots approaches to sustainability.