Informality in Medellin through the Lens of Governance

Cities in the global South have received attention in global governance and sustainability discussions. This seems to be a logical result, considering that most people in the world live in them. In particular, Medellin has received important attention thanks to a series of urban interventions related to the improvement of different aspects of the quality of life of its inhabitants. In this article we discuss how governance is materialized and takes different shapes depending on the conditions and actors in each specific case. Additionally, we explore the case of Juan Bobo, a housing consolidation pilot project that took place in the city of Medellin. Through this case, we try to understand how governance takes shape under informal conditions and how can different functional combinations of governance styles be achieved to solve some of the problems that affect self-built neighborhoods in the city