MedCities: The network of Mediterranean cities and metropolitan areas working for urban sustainable development

MedCities is a regional network of 57 cities and metropolitan areas from 15 Mediterranean countries that works in the field of urban sustainable development. Since its creation in 1991 the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) – where MedCities has its headquarters – and Barcelona City Council have been important supporters. After many years of working under the umbrella of the administrative system of the AMB, in 2017 MedCities began to operate as an independent association.
At the international level, no common legislation exists to cover the operation of international networks. For this reason, many networks act under national legislations that govern associations. This is a complicated and bureaucratic process with many obstacles. However, at the same time offers greater flexibility in terms of procedures, visibility and the capacity to act in relation to third parties.