Centres and Chairs
BackThe Urban Management Forum is the result of an initiative of Instituto de Empresa and a group of leading companies in the urban services sector who are committed to integrated and multisectorial sustainable urban management practices, with the dual objective of serving as a platform for dialogue among the different sectors involved and a reference in urban management.
New demands in urban management
At the beginning of the twentieth century, 14% of the world population lived in cities. By 2025, this figure will have risen to 75%: the human race is now an essentially urban species. This phenomenon renders ever more complicated the challenges faced by cities. Furthermore, there is increasingly fierce competition between them, which used to be at a regional level is now on a global scale . In order to meet these challenges cities are relying more and more on the “urban management” of many of their services, undertaken by both private sector companies or by public-private initiatives. This form of management is just starting to emerge in Spain. This process calls for a multisectorial business forum that provides a space where professionals from the sector can exchange experiences. The business sector has to propose initiatives that enable excellent urban management in order to develop new, more advanced and efficient services that meet cities’ demands.
Economic impact
In spite of the fact that urban management is a traditionally forgotten sector, it has an enormous impact on the economy: some studies claim that the ‘local sector’ generates 9% of GNP. Cities will only be able to rise to the enormous challenges that lay ahead if they use business management tools. For companies, the world of urban management is a developing market with an enormous potential.
Mission and scope
The Urban Management Forum’s mission is to promote excellence in urban management by providing a space for the business sector to share innovative practices and develop joint initiatives to foster the development of the local sector and progress in cities.
The Urban Management Forum is a business forum that aims to serve as a reference in urban management. Although it focuses predominantly on Spanish cities, it also features all types of international experiences related to innovative urban management. The Urban Management Forum, although aimed primarily at the business community, enjoys a high degree of institutional interest and support on the part of Madrid City Hall and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, whose activities include urban development and management.
Objective and Philosophy
The Urban Management Forum aims to raise citizens’ and City Hall directors’ awareness of the need to optimize the services that cities render to the public.
In order to achieve this objective, they have to develop innovative services and new ways for private and public sector to cooperate in joint projects. The key factor in new urban management has to be creativity and added value (not the price). The future competitiveness of cities depends on it, as does the quality of life of their citizens. The Urban Management Forum aims to work on the main barrier to advancement in this field - the scant importance attributed to this challenge by citizens and City Hall directors alike.
The Urban Management Forum is comprised of companies that are leaders in terms of capacity, technical competence and innovation in each one of the sectors involved in urban management.
Themes
The main themes of the Forum are as follows:
- Efficiency in urban services and solutions.
- Competitive urban and city-branding strategies.
- Funding mechanisms for cities.
Our Interests
Sometimes is difficult to find a word... so find here a few ones that define our interests:
Urban ecosystem, urban regeneration, urban revitalisation, city region, regional planning, city identity, urban competitiveness, city development strategies, local development, city networks, urban management, urban planning, city branding, city marketing, place promotion, urban services, city programme, eco-city, sustainable city, urban governance, urban management, urban economy, city and energy, urban energetic efficiency, e-cities, city finance and city funding.
Workshops On Urban Management
2nd International Workshop on Urban Management: Madrid-Moscow (Moscow, May 2006)
After the success of the Madrid/Singapore Workshop, and given the excellent relations between Madrid City Hall and the Council of the City of Moscow, the 2nd Urban Management Forum: Madrid-Moscow is set to consolidate this type of event. Moreover, it is an excellent opportunity to share know-how, contacts and business perspectives of these two cities which both face, as in the case of all large European capitals, similar problems and challenges.
With almost ten million inhabitants, Moscow is one of the most dynamic cities in Russia. Its economy is growing at a pace of some 7% and absorbs nearly 70% of direct foreign investment in Russia. The city is currently immersed in ambitious construction and infrastructure initiatives and is a pioneer in innovative ways of funding projects in which the private sector plays a key role.
Madrid is also in the throes of a tremendous urban transformation process, which includes significant infrastructures that pose an enormous challenge from both technical and funding aspects as well as communication. Furthermore Madrid is host to the head offices of large construction and urban services companies, a field in which Spain is a leader and which is becoming increasing global at a vertiginous pace.
Both Madrid and Moscow are committed to the environment challenge, and both have substantial natural resources and large, protected green areas.
In this competition, excellence in urban management, the main focus of the meeting, is the differentiating factor.
1st International Workshop on Urban Management: Madrid-Singapore
There was a grand inauguration of the 1st International Workshop at the IE Business School campus, given that it coincided with the final efforts of Madrid’s candidature for the 2012 Olympic games in 2012. In this first forum on urban management, Madrid was able to do benchmarking with one of the world’s most forward-looking cities and examine its extraordinary and innovative model.
The success of Singapore’s development since it gained independence in the sixties is largely due to a strategic vision which blends effectiveness with a capacity to adapt to changing market conditions. The Singapore Green Plan envisages Singapore as a city with a high-quality environment, and the city-state has one of the best infrastructures in the world for economic development thanks to numerous factors. These include the vision of Singapore as “the smart island” and the use of information and communication technologies as an engine for economic competition – technologies like telemathic networks, e-government systems or the TradeNET system, which streamlines the import and export processes. Subsequently, the conference comprised three tables: urban strategies, environmental quality and the connected city.
With a markedly practical focus, the conference offered open sessions, addresses by Spanish and international experts, and workgroups attended by a select number of professionals from among the forum’s founding partners. The event was a great success, attracting a large public of exceptionally high professional quality.
Other Activities
Thematic Conference Cycles featuring the latest key projects and issues: transport and mobility, city branding, energy and natural resources, urban cleaning services, communications, parks and gardens, housing and equipment, culture and sport,...
Research and excellence, in the form of an the extensive program of applied research projects. The first phase of this research activity is to identify excellent practices in each one of the sectors that comprise urban management. Research work will be geared to the Urban Management Forum Excellence Awards, designed to underscore major efforts made by cities.
Specialized training organized by the Urban Management Forum in the form of urban management training programs, which give preference to the needs of its corporate partners and clients.
- Contact
Prof. Gildo Seisdedos
Director
Gildo.Seisdedos@ie.edu
Pablo Vaggione
Associate Director
fgu@ie.edu-
Urban Management Forum
Castellón de la Plana, 8.
28006 Madrid. Spain
Ph.: +34 91 568 96 00
Fax: +34 91 745 47 62
fgu@ie.edu
http://www.fgu.ie.edu
- Location
- Directions
- Offices
- Departments
IE. María de Molina, 11. 28006 Madrid, Spain. Ph. +34 91 568 96 00. info@ie.edu - Legal advice
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