The Foro de las Ciudades de Madrid 2024 presents a programme that centres on city planning, circularity and urban nature

The sixth edition of the FORO DE LAS CIUDADES DE MADRID or Madrid Cities Forum 2024, organised by IFEMA MADRID, which will be held from 18 to 20 June, presents its full programme made up of 32 sessions revolving around providing a comprehensive vision of urban challenges and the future of cities. The FORUM, which will take place within the framework of the 5TH FORUM OF SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES (FSMS in Spanish), together with the 22nd International Urban Planning and Environment Trade Fair (TECMA), and the International Recovery and Recycling Trade Fair (SRR), will have 160 plus speakers, including representatives from over 50 Spanish, Latin American and Portuguese cities.

In addition to a large representation from local governments and the direct support of the Madrid City Council, the 2024 MADRID CITIES FORUM will have representatives in attendance from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda (MIVAU), Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MITMA), as well as from several autonomous communities and provincial councils.

The organisation of the FORUM has received advice from the members of its Advisory Committee and more than 50 partner organisations that have contributed their knowledge and experience to assist in the design of an extremely enticing programme.

Once again, the event will welcome a multidisciplinary vision of the future of cities that revolves around three main axes that will address the regenerative planning of cities and the action plans of the Urban Agenda, the new management of green spaces, and the new paradigm of circular cities. In total, 32 topics will be touched upon.

In addition to the perspectives of numerous experts and representatives from professional associations and organisations, the FORUM offers the possibility to witness first-hand the presentations of some 70 case studies of projects, plans and strategies that are already being implemented in cities. It is a unique opportunity for you to learn about and increase your knowledge of today's very best projects on planning, mobility, nature and circularity, etc.

Planning as a tool for all urban expressions

With 21 sessions, the programme of the FORO DE LAS CIUDADES DE MADRID 2024 presents, under the paradigm of urban transformation based on planning, a series of very diverse approaches that appeal to the need to create transitions by linking interrelated and complementary issues such as the implementation of the Urban Agendas, mobility, neighbourhood regeneration, and much more.

For some of these sessions, the FORUM has the direct collaboration of the Observatory 2030 of the Higher Council of Architectural Associations of Madrid (CSCAE), which will present its report and Toolkit on Urban Regeneration; the urban planning office Paisaje Transversal; URBACT Spain Network; the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI); the Cencyl Cities Network; the Sustainability and Architecture Association (ASA), and the Association of Urban and Metropolitan Public Transport (ATUC). This block on planning is broached from the following perspectives:

• Urban Agenda Action Plans, objectives and case studies
• Financing from European funds for urban development projects
• Urban regeneration and neighbourhood regeneration
• Habitat refurbishment and 'present energy scenarios'
• Urban adaptation to and mitigation of climate change: green, digital and hybrid transformations
• Experiences from Latin American cities, including Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Santo Domingo and Sao Paulo
• The need to manage the territory at the scales of the metropolitan area and bioregion
• Architecture as an engine of social and environmental transformation
• New urban developments as drivers of sustainability
• Good practices of Spanish cities in the URBACT network
• Strategies for housing development in urban environments
• Technological innovations for the connected and efficient city
• Healthy cities, spaces for life
• The future of sustainable mobility
• The quality of public space and its uses
• The new urban mobilities
• Improvements in public transport

Green cities for health and resilience

The new management of green spaces centring on green infrastructures and the appreciation of their environmental and social advantages will be the unifying theme of the 5 sessions on urban nature, with the collaboration of the Spanish Association of Landscape Architects (AEP); the Spanish Association of Public Parks and Gardens (AEPJP); the Master in Historic Gardens and Ecosystem Services for Green Infrastructure of the UPM; the Alliance for Green Infrastructure of the UPM, and the Biodiversity Foundation. Experts from organisations and academia will participate, as well as presenting some 20 case studies of cities. Some of the viewpoints included in the programme are:

• The natural landscape integrated into nature
• Social and technological aspects of green spaces
• Well-being and health linked to green infrastructure
• Main trends in urban nature management
• Announcement of Árbol Award recipients and talks by the winning cities

Circular cities, less matter and less energy

The circular economy paradigm is gaining ground quickly in cities. Transforming the economy from a linear to a circular one requires urban environments to rethink the use of material and immaterial resources, increasing self-sufficiency and efficiency in the consumption of goods, food, clean energy production, urban services, etc. Over 5 sessions, the Forum will present more than 30 experiences and good practices in the circular economy from very different perspectives.

• Ideas for advancing circular cities
• Approaches to achieving the 2030 goals
• Improvements in the selective collection of urban waste
• Circular economy in the construction sector
• Technological innovation for circularity
• Green finance for the circular economy
• Efficient vehicle fleets for public services
• The need for continuous training in the circular economy
• New raw materials from recycling for urban uses
• Innovative, green and circular public procurement
• Organic waste management

The FORO DE LAS CIUDADES MADRID 2024 has significant support through its different types of sponsorship:

• Main sponsors: FCC Environment and PreZero Spain and Portugal
• Thematic sponsor: Ecoembes
• Session sponsors: Metrovacesa and Madrid Nuevo Norte

During the sixth edition of the FORUM, it will be possible to visit the third edition of Good Urban Practices with explanatory panels on the projects received and selected, and attend the presentation of the second edition of the Árbol or Tree Award, which will be held on Thursday 20 June at 2.00pm.

The main conclusions of the document to be presented by the Working Group on Circular Economy of the MADRID CITIES FORUM, coordinated by the UPM and with more than 20 collaborating entities, will also be publicised.

Foro 2024 programme: https://www.ifema.es/foro-ciudades/horario-actividades

Complete information is available at: https://www.ifema.es/foro-ciudades

To come as an attendee: https://www.ifema.es/foro-ciudades/entradas

*Special access conditions for contributing organisations and associations and those interested in attending can be viewed at the email: forodelasciudades@ifema.es

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