Escobar: Cartagena authorities focusing on balance between tourism, quality of life for residents

The authorities in Cartagena, Colombia, are implementing projects to create new public spaces and improve the urban environment, while simultaneously striving to improve the quality of life for local residents and neighborhood safety, Maria Abondano Escobar, a representative of the Colombian delegation, said during a panel discussion at WUF13 in Baku, Report informs.

According to her, as part of the new project, soccer and baseball fields, children's parks, and areas for pets have been created in the city.

"Our goal was to create free public spaces for the residents of Cartagena near the historic center," she noted.

Abondano Escobar emphasized that previously, a significant portion of investments were directed primarily toward developing tourism infrastructure.

"Very often, investments are made only in tourism, while investments in local residents are relegated to the background," the Colombian representative said.

According to her, the city authorities' current approach is based on the "fifty-fifty" principle, which entails simultaneously developing tourism and improving living conditions for the residents.

In addition, city authorities implemented a project to relocate more than 120 families living in unsafe conditions in an area with high crime and drug trafficking rates.

"Small facilities, officially considered auto repair shops or bakeries, were in fact large drug distribution centers," she emphasized.

The Colombian representative noted that the project not only improved the urban environment but also increased neighborhood safety.