Medellín and the Aburrá Valley Metropolis: Regional Integration and Urban Sustainability

Abstract

Recognizing the vital importance of a healthy environment as a guarantee of well-being for the entire population, it is necessary to strengthen an alternative civic culture grounded in an environmental ethic that understands the implications of the urban ecological footprint. In the case of the Aburrá Valley metropolitan area, regional integration must be strengthened through binding policies to address the imbalance between the city and the regions that support it. The National Environmental System (SINA) offers a potential solution, within the framework of unifying institutions to counter the jurisdictional fragmentation caused by Law 99 of 1993, given that boundaries remain undefined and lack regulation ensuring territorial order. This is why the Regional System of Protected Areas (SIRAP), Central Antioquia Park (PCA), plays an important role in this solution, focusing on harmonizing the Aburrá Valley metropolis with the surrounding regions.