This in-depth conversation will explore how the port and city of A Coruña have built a cooperative relationship to address shared challenges and opportunities. Through this case study, we will uncover practical lessons and strategies that can inspire other port cities worldwide.
Doctor Architect. Urban designer and planner. Master in Urbanism at Harvard University (GSD MAUD 95). Professor of Urbanism and Urban Planning at the Technical School of Architecture of A Coruna (UDC). General Director of Urbanism and Land Planning during the 10th Galician Government. Deputy Major at the City Council of A Coruna, where he was in charge of urbanism and infrastructure and participated in the first design of the maritime esplanades of La Marina and O Parrote (traffic burying and pedestrianisation). Eisenhower Fellowship in the programme “Challenges of Urbanism in the 21st Century”, to research on maritime esplanades in 30 cities in the USA for several months. Executive Chairman of the Port Authority of A Coruna, where they are facing the process of transforming the waterfront of the Inner Port.
With a degree in Law and a Master's in Advocacy from the University of A Coruña (UDC), Inés Rey García (A Coruña, 1982) has been mayor of her hometown since 2019 and was re-elected in 2023. She is the first woman to hold this position in A Coruña since the transition to democracy.
Her political career began in her youth, with active participation in the university student movement, where she obtained the highest electoral support as a student representative. In 2003, at the age of just 21, she ran for municipal elections for the first time. Later, in 2011, she was a candidate for the Senate as number two on her party's list.
After practicing law for more than a decade, in 2018 she ran in the primaries for mayor of A Coruña. Since then, she has led the municipal government with a firm commitment to social progress, equality, and urban sustainability.
Since September 2023, she has also held the position of First Vice President of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), forming part of the entity's first leadership team headed entirely by female mayors. She also chairs the European network ‘Atlantic Cities’, which brings together Atlantic cities committed to territorial development and international cooperation.
Inés Rey is currently tackling the city's main strategic challenge: the second major modernization of A Coruña, focused on opening up the port and transforming its seafront. This process represents a historic opportunity to redefine the urban model of A Coruña, integrating sustainability, innovation, and social cohesion.
Dr José Manuel Pagés Sánchez has been the Director of the Agenda 2030 by AIVP (International Association Cities and Ports) since 2016. He is an architect by training, with a Master's from Lisbon’s Technical University. His passion for port and urban development led him to pursue a PhD in Hamburg’s Hafencity University, completed in 2019, having received different grants for his research.
