The 2nd Forum of Peripheral Cities (FALP), held in Getafe between 10 and 12 June, brought together 600 mayors and elected representatives from thirty countries to debate how to construct solidarity-based, sustainable and democratic metropolises. Many round table discussions were held over the three days, dealing with issues as diverse as gender equality, metropolitan planning, recognition of suburban areas as poles of cultural innovation, decentralised cooperation between peripheral cities and the commitment to multiculturalism and participatory democracy.
In an extraordinarily urbanised world, in which cities have become mega-cities or have merged to form long urban corridors, peripheral cities demanded a role in the international scene.
Many suburban cities are advocates not only of the right to the city, but also of the right to inclusive metropolises, and met to express the need for metropolises to be structured with their outlying areas in order to create polycentric cities which ensure the equality of all those inhabiting them.
The next Forum of Peripheral Cities will take place in 4 years´ time. After two conferences in Europe (Nanterre and Getafe), the city scheduled to host the third FALP in Canoas, a city on the outskirts of Porto Alegre (Brazil). The conclusions of the 2nd FALP can be consulted at:
More information at: http://falp.getafe.es/