ABSTRACT
Urban projects are transformed aesthetically, functionally and symbolically through the narratives of local communities, linked to religion and baroque imagery. The plethora of cultural manifestations in the city evidence the richness of popular culture and its capacity to attract, adapt and re-create elements initially imposed by the twin logic of globalization and modernity. The role of popular culture in the appropriation of the urban projects and the creation of the hybrid city is a necessary element in the understanding of the urban dynamics in Latin America. Latin American cities exhibit a complex combination of traditions, popular cultures and local customs with global trends, modern ideals and international patterns of consumption. This chapter examines the case of Medelln and shows how these different tendencies mix and combine, as interventions in the urban landscape toward competitiveness and increasing economic infrastructure are challenged and re-created by the practices and uses of the local communities who live with them.
