Vanesa Aso Martín
The mayor of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca , strengthened the city’s international profile this Monday in Madrid during her participation in the Bloomberg CityLab 2026 forum , one of the world’s leading events on urban innovation . Chueca spoke at a closed-door session with around one hundred mayors from major cities as part of the “Mayors Innovation Studio ,” held at the Reina Sofía Museum.
The event, organized by Bloomberg Philanthropies in collaboration with the Aspen Institute, brings together nearly a thousand international leaders in Madrid to address major urban challenges . Zaragoza has taken advantage of its presence to share its policies on digitalization, mobility, and water management , and to exchange experiences with public officials from all five continents.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Economy, Digital Transformation, and Transparency, Carlos Gimeno, is participating in the “City Innovation Studio ,” which focuses on technological solutions applied to city management. The event, which runs until April 29th in venues such as the Teatro Real and the Teatro del Retiro, solidifies Madrid’s position as the epicenter of the global debate on the future of urban life.
URBAN INNOVATION AND GLOBAL ALLIANCES
The Bloomberg CityLab 2026 program addresses key issues such as artificial intelligence applied to public services , climate change adaptation , the energy transition , affordable housing , and the revitalization of public space . The sessions combine strategic discussions, visits to urban projects in Madrid, and meetings between mayors, experts, and technologists.
Among the participants are prominent figures such as Michael R. Bloomberg, Norman Foster, Nadia Calviño, Enrique Peñalosa, and Mariana Mazzucato, along with mayors from cities like London, Lisbon, Istanbul, and Bogotá. The forum thus reinforces its global character with representation from 37 countries.
Zaragoza’s participation is part of its collaboration with the European i-teams program of Bloomberg Philanthropies, which it joined in 2015. This initiative allows the city to develop data-driven and evidence-based projects to improve emergency response, reduce youth poverty, and advance energy efficiency, consolidating its urban innovation strategy.
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