At a time when half of the world´s population lives in cities, the challenges faced by local governments are rapidly increasing. The dynamics of growth of the major cities means that the most vulnerable sectors of the population are being pushed towards the edges of cities. As a result, local government bodies located on the outskirts of large cities today have major difficulties when dealing with increasing social challenges.In order to promote international networking among suburban cities, the 1st World Forum for Peripheral Local Authorities (FALP) was convened in Nanterre (France) in 2006. Among the issues discussed were the risks of social, spatial and environmental fragmentation in large cities, the potential for participatory democracy in the construction of the inclusive metropolises and the right to mobility. The second FALP will take place in Getafe (Spain) between 10 and 12 June 2010. For more information on the 2nd FALP, please see: http://falp.getafe.es/.