The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has participated in the event ‘Madrid in transformation, an opportunity for the future’, at the MIPIM real estate fair in Cannes, France, in front of investors from 90 countries, where he highlighted the unlocking of new urban developments that make available land to build more than 200,000 new homes. At a time when construction is booming, Madrid is on track to lead the construction of affordable housing in Europe over the next decade. These achievements, the mayor explained, are the result of public-private collaboration and housing policies focused on simplifying regulations and reducing bureaucracy.
This event has shown that over 70% of foreign investment in Spain chooses Madrid, and 72% of the largest companies in Spain have their headquarters in the capital. According to PwC, Madrid is now the second most attractive city in Europe for real estate investment, second only to London.
The latest data confirms that Madrid is a leader in Spain in the number of public housing units, as the City Council is building more public housing than ever, with the highest standards of energy efficiency, exclusively for affordable rent through the Municipal Housing and Land Company. In the last five years, the public housing stock has increased by 47%, adding more than 3,000 new homes. This raises the municipal portfolio to 9,200 homes, and it will exceed 10,000 by the end of the year. Currently, EMVS Madrid has more than 4,000 public housing units in the project or construction phase, all designed to the highest standards of sustainability and efficiency.
After the event, Almeida visited the MIPIM fair and met with various mayors such as the Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas; the Mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan; the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham; the Deputy Mayors of London, Jules Pipe and Tom Copley, and the Minister of Tourism of Brazil, Celso Sabino, with whom he shared impressions and synergies related to the strategy of each of these cities to address the housing challenge and attract foreign investment.
Madrid Stand at MIPIM
Subsequently, the mayor inaugurated the Madrid stand, where he highlighted the presence of the capital at the most important real estate fair in Europe. The Madrid City Council has a cutting-edge stand of 102 m2 shared with the Community of Madrid during the four days of the fair, from March 11 to 14, where some of the keys to the success of the housing policies of the City Council are showcased through videos, meetings, conferences, and round tables.
In the afternoon, Almeida will participate in the session ‘What is needed to become an effective urban change agent?’, where, along with real estate executives and investors, he will discuss the factors, characteristics, and circumstances that promote major urban changes. /
