South American Metropolises Lead Urban Greenery Revolution in 2026

Time Out’s 2026 city survey ranks Medellín and São Paulo among the world’s best for green space, highlighting urban cooling corridors and biodiversity efforts.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 11, 2026, 12:17 PM EDT

Source: Time Out

Medellín: The "City of Eternal Spring" Gets Cooler

Medellín’s second-place regional ranking, with an 86 percent local approval rating, is the direct result of a transformative cooling project launched in 2016. Known for its balmy climate, the city previously suffered from the "heat island" effect due to dense concrete architecture. The implementation of "green corridors" strategically plotted botanical routes throughout the city successfully lowered the average local temperature by 2°C in just three years. This network of flourishing flora not only provides a visual respite but serves as a functional lungs-and-ventilation system for the urban core, proving that natural intervention can solve mechanical urban issues.

São Paulo: A Concrete Jungle No More

Historically synonymous with sprawling gray infrastructure, São Paulo has surged into the top 20 list for green space access, with 76 percent of residents praising the city’s recent biodiversity efforts. Under the leadership of Mayor Ricardo Nunes, the city has championed the expansion of protected green zones and the planting of approximately 15 million trees since 2015. According to data from C40 Cities, São Paulo’s long-term environmental master plan aims to create a total green space footprint equivalent to the size of Paris. This massive scale of reforestation is designed to protect local biodiversity while providing equitable nature access across the city's vast 12 million-person population.

Transformative Analysis: The Shift from Aesthetics to Utility

The 2026 data reflects a broader global trend where urban green space is no longer viewed as a luxury amenity, but as a critical utility for climate resilience. Cities like Medellín have demonstrated that greening projects are high-yield investments; by lowering ambient temperatures, they reduce energy consumption and improve public health outcomes. This "South American Model" of urbanism integrating nature into existing transit and pedestrian arteries is being studied by urban planners globally as a blueprint for retrofitting aging, high-density metropolises to withstand the rising temperatures of the mid-2020s.