The mayor of Sevilla, José Luis Sanz, has called for the city to reclaim its historical role as a bridge between Europe and Ibero-America at the 'Ciudades 500+' forum held in Madrid. This event was organised by the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI) and coincides with the upcoming centenary of the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition, which will be celebrated in the Andalusian capital in two and a half years.
During a roundtable discussion alongside Carlos Fernando Galán, mayor of Bogotá (Colombia); Fátima Tardío, mayor of Sucre (Bolivia); Carlos Pinedo, mayor of Santa Marta (Colombia); and Pedro Duarte, president of the Municipal Chamber of Porto, Sanz emphasised that Sevilla 2029 should not only commemorate the past but also serve as a platform for fostering new relationships between cities.
Sanz articulated his vision for Sevilla as a meeting point for cities to exchange knowledge, initiate projects, and seek funding and partnerships. He stressed the importance of building a network of historic cities to share experiences related to heritage rehabilitation, tourism management, digitalisation, sustainability, mobility, housing, culture, and new forms of civic participation.
Highlighting the measures Sevilla has implemented to manage its historical heritage, Sanz remarked that the modern city was born from the 1929 exhibition, which led to significant urban transformation. He advocated for a similar process now, as the centenary approaches, ensuring that Ibero-American cities contribute to shaping the Sevilla of the 21st century.
As the economic, administrative, and talent capital of southern Spain, thanks to its five universities, Sevilla attracts around four million visitors annually. Sanz expressed the need for a quality tourism model that preserves the city's identity while being compatible with the daily lives of Sevillanos.
During the meeting, an agreement was signed to promote the Ibero-America 500+ Alliance, which includes capitals from Spain and Latin America that have reached or are nearing 500 years of existence. The UCCI, founded in Madrid in 1992, comprises 29 member cities with a combined population of over 76 million. It is co-chaired by mayors José Luis Martínez-Almeida (Madrid) and Jorge Macri (Buenos Aires).
The presence of mayors and municipal representatives from Ibero-American cities in Spain will continue on 20 and 21 October in Sevilla, where members of the 500+ Alliance will meet at the Real Alcázar and be received at the Sevilla City Hall. Attendees will include mayors and representatives from cities such as Quito (Ecuador), Bogotá, Santa Marta, and Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), La Paz and Sucre (Bolivia), Valparaíso (Chile), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Lima (Peru), among others. This marks the first institutional meeting related to Sevilla 2029, the celebration of the centenary of the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929.
