In recent years, the city of Málaga has become an international example and benchmark due to the profound transformation that it has undergone as a space for cohabitation through its commitment to innovation, culture and environmental protection, always considering the welfare and participation of its citizens as the main axis.

This transformation is clear proof that more sustainable cities are possible, where population growth and urban development go hand in hand with environmental protection and the guarantee of excellent quality of life for the people who live in them.

With the endorsement of the progress achieved and the experience acquired during this continuous process of transformation, the city of Málaga and its City Council have been working for years to host the International Specialised Exhibition to be held in 2027, dedicated to 'The urban era: towards the sustainable city. Citizenship, Innovation and the Environment expresses an evocative and aspirational approach that is projected towards a concrete and desiderative goal: the sustainable city'.

An exhibition conceived as an international forum in which we can reflect on the sustainability of our cities and where proposals and practices will be shared which, like the Malagueña, have proved to be synonymous with success in the complex but necessary path towards demographic, urban and environmental compatibility.

'The urban era: towards the sustainable city', the International Exhibition that Málaga aspires to organise in 2027, therefore, represents a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge, experiences and solutions that lead to making cities healthy, human and sustainable environments for living and cohabitation, thus becoming a new drive in the face of the challenges posed by the ideal formulation of the sustainable city.

Due to its global relevance, this forum will also serve to raise awareness among society and the public authorities of the need to make progress in the transformation of cities, as well as to share the scientific, technological and economic progress achieved in this field.

Andalusia, and in a unique way, the city of Málaga, have also demonstrated their commitment and enthusiasm to be at the forefront of facing these great challenges for humanity.

Therefore, there is no better option than the city of Málaga when it comes to hosting an International Exhibition that has been called on to create a living platform for the exchange of creative and innovative models and practices regarding how the cities of the future should look. It represents a unique opportunity to think about and have debates about this issue, and it also promotes a sensitive, sustainable and inclusive framework in the governance of a city model that favours everyone and leaves no one behind.

Málaga is the sixth Spanish city in terms of inhabitants (574,654 in 2019) and its excellent climate (295 days of sunshine a year and average temperature of 18.2 degrees Celsius) and its strategic location in the Mediterranean as a gateway to the European continent make it one of the most important cities in the Mediterranean.

The airport, the port, the AVE, the Andalusia Technology Park (Málaga TechPark), the University of Málaga, the National Digital Content Pole, the Trade Fair and Congress Centre... are great infrastructures that are joined by other important cultural centres, which include the Centre Pompidou Málaga, the Collection of St. Petersburg -The Russian Museum in Tabacalera, the Casa Natal Picasso Foundation, the Picasso Museum, the Málaga Museum (Fine Arts and Archaeology), the Carmen Thyssen Museum, the Contemporary Art Centre, the Málaga Automobile and Fashion Museum and the Museum Jorge Rando, among others.

To this list, we must also add other powerful cultural infrastructures such as the Cervantes Theatre, the stage each year at the Málaga Spanish Film Festival, the Echegaray Theatre and the Albéniz Cinema.

Therefore, the Andalusian Government, firmly committed to the sustainability of Andalusian towns and cities, as well as to the well-being of our citizens, wishes to express its support for the candidacy presented by the city of Málaga to organise the International Exhibition of 2027 'The urban era: towards the sustainable city’, also placing Málaga and Andalusia at the epicentre of major international events and enhancing their role as global benchmarks for innovation and best practices.