The present work is the result of the author's participation in the Plan de Desarrollo Cultural de Medellin 2010-2020, (Medellin's Cultural Development Plan 2010-2020), as well as reflections on the basis of cultural planning in Bogota. The central argument is that the city’s cultural development plan vertebrates its entire development plan. The approach here presented claims for the centrality of the cultural sector (Manito, 2006) on the agenda of the city's socioeconomic development. In this sense the argument relies on several theoretical contributions, including the consideration made by the Ibero-American Centre for Strategic Urban Development (Centro Iberoamericano de Desarrollo Estrategico Urbano - CIDEU).