30 August 2008

Case I, Cartagena, Colombia


Taxi on the beach.

Cartagena on the Caribbean coast could be an example of how a modern city uses and abuses its waters. The old city is on the World Heritage List, beautifully situated on a narrow peninsula between the mangroove forests and the rough sea. But the city has grown both along the shores and spread on free land inwards. On the shores Cartagena now faces the trouble of land being washed out by the sea, and further in open sewages and contaminated water is a problem both for people and nature.
Despite it´s challenges Cartagena is the pearl of the Caribbean attracting visitors from Colombia and the rest of the world. It has a walled colonial city and a moderne high-rise skyline towards the sea.

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