Despite remarkable progress in Medellín, Colombia, many people do still not have access to
improved sanitation. This master thesis explores why Medellín has been successful but also
why the city is still failing, by examining the importance of economic income, housing tenure,
and community participation. This is done by a quantitative OLS regression analysis between
different neighbourhoods followed up by qualitative informant interviews analysed through a
stakeholder analysis to make possible motives clear. The results show that economic income
is the most important factor for access to sanitation in Medellín, but the other factors show to
be important as well when conducting the interviews. Housing tenure is important when it
comes to get included in the official network since the sanitary perimeter and the POT decides
who should be included, and one essential requirement for that is housing tenure. Previously,
research has focused on community participation during projects. That is important also in
Medellín but this thesis also finds that it is essential for the community to be active before a
project in order for it to actually take place. In addition, communities solve their necessities
through local solutions.