What is Foro de las ciudades?
The Cities Forum is a meeting point for the exchange of ideas, projects and visions on the way forward for cities to become more liveable, sustainable, inclusive, participatory and resilient. Its main objective is to provide a networking space both for cities that have already begun this transition and for dozens of organisations working with local governments to make their proposals for change possible.
IFEMA MADRID Cities Forum works with an Advisory Committee and a wide group of collaborating entities to collectively build the most complete programme possible in each of its editions. It also has the special collaboration of the Madrid City Council.
Why visit Foro de las Ciudades?
The IFEMA MADRID Cities Forum is the perfect complement to several of the fairs and shows held simultaneously with TECMA and SRR, as they share the debate on urban management, the maintenance of green spaces in the city and the new waste management from a circular economy perspective.
Thanks to the cross-cutting vision of the fairs, the IFEMA MADRID Cities Forum connects in visions and themes with the products and services of the exhibitors of the 22nd edition of the International Trade Fair for Urbanism and the Environment, TECMA, and the 9th International Trade Fair for Recovery and Recycling, SRR.
More International Forum
Although in previous editions the Forum has always had a significant international presence, in 2026 it will completely transform its structure to become a fully international event, featuring around twenty cities from around the world that will join nearly 30 Spanish municipalities in the program, along with other public administrations, professional associations, universities, city networks, and companies. Cities from the Americas and Europe will play a particularly prominent role, offering solutions to major urban challenges that serve as examples to follow.
This new global projection of the Forum is made possible thanks to the support of the Madrid City Council, the Community of Madrid, and organizations such as the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI), ICLEI Europe, URBACT, the European Commission, the Spanish Network of Smart Cities (RECI), and the Innpulso Network, among other entities.
It is sponsored by the Community of Madrid, FCC Medio Ambiente, PreZero, Ecoembes, Madrid Nuevo Norte, Valdecarros, Metrovacesa, and MedCities.
The international and Spanish cities participating in the 2026 Forum have been selected through a rigorous process based on projects that have demonstrated their effectiveness in improving urban metabolism, and that are aligned with the principles of the Urban Agenda, the European Union’s territorial management approaches, sustainable and innovative urban development planning, climate change adaptation, the implementation of circularity, and the aspiration to create more livable and healthier environments.
Themes and Program
This shift in the urban paradigm forms the programmatic foundation on which the 2026 Forum builds its content agenda. With a strongly practical approach, the more than 50 selected cities from Spain, Europe, and the Americas will showcase current projects across different urban verticals.
To facilitate lines of debate and ensure cross-cutting perspectives, the 2026 Forum of Cities of Madrid will feature four themed auditoriums aligned with the most comprehensive approaches to urban management:
- Sustainable Urban Development
- Innovative City
- Circular City
- Human Health and Well‑Being
Reasons to visit
Grow your contact network
Meet new suppliers and customers and strengthen business relationships with existing ones, multiplying business opportunities
Learn about trends and innovations
Get a detailed and current vision of the market and participate in meetings with sector experts
Increase your impact in media
Be part of an event that will attract the attention of the media and your potential clients
Enjoy Madrid and its many opportunities
Take the chance of doing business in the main commercial and service hub of the country
Sponsors
With the institutional support of:
- Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias - FEMP
- Federación de Municipios de Madrid - FMM
- Comisión Europea
- Ministerio de Vivienda y Agenda Urbana - MIVAU
- ONU - Habitat
- Red Española de Ciudades Inteligentes - RECI
- Red Innpulso
- Unión de Ciudades Capitales Iberoamericanas – UCCI
- URBACT - EUI
Advisory Committee
Foro de las ciudades has in its Advisory Committee important institutions, networks of cities, both Spanish and Latin American, and professional associations linked to urban management. Thanks to its advice and commitment, the Forum gathers in each of its editions ideas, good practices, sensitivities and trends of interest for local entities and their daily work.
- AEP - Asociación Española de Paisajistas
- AEPJP -Asociación Española de Parques y Jardines Públicos
- AFAMOUR - Asociación Española de Fabricantes de Equipamiento Urbano y Parques Infantiles
- ANEPMA - Asociación Nacional de Empresas Públicas de Medio Ambiente
- ASA - Asociación Sostenibilidad y Arquitectura
- ASEJA– Asociación Española de Empresas de Parques y Jardines
- ASELIP– Asociación de Empresas de Limpieza Pública y Cuidado del Medio Ambiente Urbano
- ATEGRUS - Asociación Técnica para la Gestión de Residuos y Medio Ambiente
- ATUC - Asociación de Empresas Gestoras de los Transportes Urbanos Colectivos
- Ayuntamiento de Madrid
- COAM - Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid
- DAQUAS – Asociación Española de Abastecimiento de Agua y Saneamiento.
- FEMP - Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias
- FER - Federación Española de la Recuperación y el Reciclaje
- ONU - HABITAT
- UCCI – Unión de Ciudades Capitales Iberoamericanas
- IFEMA MADRID
Associates
More than 35 organizations are getting involved in the design of the second edition of the Cities Forum. We have a list of collaborators that cover all aspects of the design and management of our cities. They accompany us in defining the themes of the program, in its dissemination and in a process of co-organization of presentations, discussion sessions and round tables.
- Asociación Española de Arboricultura, AEA
- Centro Iberoamericano de Desarrollo Estratégico Urbano, CIDEU
- Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator, UPM
- Ciudades y Gobiernos Locales Unidos - CGLU
- Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación - COIT
- Consejo Superior de Colegios de Arquitectos de España – CSCAE. Observatorio 2030
- Departamento de Urbanismo y Ordenación del Territorio DUyOT, ETSAM, UPM
- Máster Universitario en Planeamiento Urbano y Territorial MUPUT, UPM
- Forética
- Fundación Metrópoli
- Fundación Economía Circular
- ITD UPM
- Kaleidos Red
- Madrid Capital Mundial, MWCC
- Máster Universitario en Economía Circular, UPM
- Máster en Jardines Históricos y Servicios Ecosistémicos de la Infraestructura Verde, UPM
- n’UNDO
- Observatorio Arquitectura Saludable, OAS
- Paisaje Transversal
- Real Estate Future Institute
- SANNAS
- Universidad Europea
- Tech Friendly
- 300000 km/h urban think tank
- ASYPS
- CENCYL
- Asociación Española de Normalización, UNE
- GIAU UPM
- Red Ciudades por la Bicicleta
- Red Ciudades que Caminan
International partners
- Broadway Malyan
- ICLEI Europa
- IDOM
- Tecnalia
- Unión de Ciudades Capitales Iberoamericanas – UCCI