From Industrial City to Knowledge City: A Comparative Study of Singapore and Medellín, Mid-20th and Early 21st Centuries

Abstract

The following article is presented as a reflective exercise in the comparative analysis of two cities that, despite their geographical distance, have conceived similar development models in the search for insertion into global economic dynamics. For this case, Medellin and Singapore were taken as examples since both metropolises have emerged as international models in urban planning and economic growth. For the development of this research, the transition process undertaken by the leaders of both territories to abandon the primary and secondary economic model and move towards a knowledge economy was considered, as postulated by the thinker Saskia Sassen when she argues that modern regions must transform their old material economies (based on the textile industry, mining, agriculture, etc.) towards knowledge-based economies. The study also reflects the underlying differences between the two territories that have produced different results; although the objective was the same (to advocate for innovative societies), local, cultural, social, and political conditions allowed Singapore to rapidly achieve unprecedented economic development while Medellin still retains moderate economic development.