Medellín approves a land-use plan revision enabling 222,000 extra homes and zoning tourist rentals by area

Medellín's city council approved Proyecto de Acuerdo 104 of 2026, the mid-term revision of the city's land-use plan (POT), on 5 November 2026 after a session of 14 to 15 hours. The city government reports 18 votes in favour; El Tiempo says 18 of a possible 21, with two against and one abstention. About 78% of the articles of the plan in force since 2014 change. El Tiempo reports the revision enables 222,000 homes beyond those projected in the previous plan over 12 years, against a housing deficit of 38,000 households. Minuto30 reports that it allows lot-by-lot development in some areas without a partial plan and gives higher building allowances to projects that group lots and hand over land for public space. Tourist accommodation stays barred in low-mix residential zones, a restriction the city government says dates from the 2014 plan, is conditional on mass-transit corridors in medium-mix zones and is allowed in high-mix zones. According to city figures reported by Minuto30, 8,322 tourism providers were on the national register in 2026, up from 521 in 2019.

Medellín has become a test case for housing pressure from short-term visitors. It answers with more building capacity and spatial zoning of tourist rentals rather than a city-wide cap. Whether enabled capacity turns into built homes, and whether warnings from some planners and councillors about infrastructure and public space prove right, are the open questions.