Medellin , Colombia ( CNN ) -- Medellin is a place that , for many , will always be associated with Pablo Escobar -- the late drug lord who unleashed a murderous wave of violence and turned the Colombian city into one of the world 's most dangerous . Nearly 20 years after his death , the Medellin that Escobar and his infamous cartel once ruled has been transformed beyond recognition . In March , it was named the world 's most innovative city by the Urban Land Institute . `` It 's a great opportunity to show the city we are building , '' says mayor Anibal Gaviria . `` Medellin has gone through really difficult times and people internationally have a reference to this pain . '' `` This designation as the most innovative city allows us to show the new face of Medellin , which has a lot of challenges but which has come a long way . '' Visiting one poor hillside community in the city , the traditional chaotic construction of cheap housing associated with slums is still there . But now a gleaming seven-station outdoor escalator runs through the heart of the community . `` I have a lot of fun , '' says nine-year-old Mariana Savalo . `` You can take it wherever you want to go and it helps bring up sick people . '' The project took two years to complete , at a cost of $ 5 million . It replaced a 300-step staircase , runs 18 hours a day , and has become a crucial link to the city center -- and the job market . `` Medellin has taken things which in themselves are not innovative , '' explains Gaviria . `` But the way Medellin has included them in urban and social development is the innovation. `` This city 's infrastructure illustrates his point : For less than a dollar , citizens can ride the subway and then transfer directly to the Metrocable -- a vast cable car system which sweeps residents high into the city 's deprived areas . It stops in a mountaintop nature reserve , giving residents easy access to weekend recreation . The regeneration began under former mayor Sergio Fajardo , who pioneered a theory known as `` urban acupuncture '' from 2003 , which focused on reclaiming areas from the cartels through strategic projects . `` Fajardo said his strategy was , for the first time , to put a lot of investment towards the most deprived areas , '' says Italian architect Francesco Orsini . `` Before that politicians used to go there to get votes , promising many things and not go back . '' Orsini was a member of the team that redesigned the city 's urban landscape . One landmark project is the Parque Biblioteca Espana -- a striking library built in an area where Escobar used to recruit assassins . `` We managed to bring into these low income settlements a high standard of architecture , '' says Orsini . `` So we managed to dignify these spaces . So everybody says : 'This is my library and I identify myself with that beautiful design . ' '' The overall aim was to create pride in each citizen 's neighborhood and the city itself . A scheme known as participatory budgeting -- where residents define local priorities -- remains central to its success . `` One of the biggest things about Medellin is pride and love towards the city , '' says Gaviria . `` That pride needs to be nurtured ... how ? Through civic participation . Through citizens feeling they participate in the construction , design and approval of public works and government programs . '' A level of civic pride is evident . Many of the poor areas used to be strewn with rubbish and sewage . Now , the streets are clean , with brightly-colored recycling bins featuring prominently . As the city looks to its future , the hillside communities , together with the majority of the city 's young people , are obvious areas of economic expansion . The mayor 's office has established small clinics to encourage `` micro entrepreneurs '' like Clara Ramirez , who sells handicrafts . `` I have learned a lot , like calculating costs and budgets , '' she says . `` And computers -- now I have a few ideas if one day I have to present my work as an entrepreneur . '' Medellin is by no means a perfect city : Its murder rate has fallen by 80 % since the Escobar days but it remains significant . And many still live in poverty . Yet there is an undeniable sense of optimism and pride that the city seems to be on the right path through a commitment to innovation .
Colombian city of Medellin was once known as the home of drug lord Pablo Escobar . Now the city has been the focal point for innovative urban regeneration . Named the world 's most innovative city by the Urban Land Institute . Regeneration began under former mayor who pioneered theory known as `` urban acupuncture ''