In 2018, Santiago de Cali was a winner of the Cities of Service Engaged Cities Award for its work with local citizen-led councils in the city. The award elevates city-led strategies that most successfully engage citizens to help create and implement solutions to pressing local problems. To combat a high level of violence, city leaders created local mesas, or councils, comprised of residents in 15 districts. The mesas launched a variety of community initiatives to build trust between neighbors, such as the rehabilitation of public parks and staging arts events, that helped lower conflict within the community.
