Tijuana is set to welcome the 9th International Congress on Urban Parks from May 13 to 15, organized by Mexico’s National Association of Parks and Recreation (ANPR México). For the first time, northern Mexico will host Latin America’s most significant professional gathering focused on urban parks and public spaces.
The event arrives at a meaningful milestone: ANPR México is celebrating a decade of work dedicated to professionalizing, designing, and managing public spaces across the country and the region. Over nine previous editions —held in cities including Mérida, León, Monterrey, Salta, and Guayaquil— the congress has drawn more than 9,100 participants, 600 speakers, and 300 conferences, establishing itself as the leading technical reference for the sector throughout Latin America.
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Choosing Tijuana as this year’s host is no accident. The city serves as a living urban laboratory, where rapid growth and cultural diversity create unique challenges and opportunities for developing parks and community spaces. The event is supported by the Tijuana Economic Development Council (CDT) and the Business Trust Fund of the State of Baja California (FIDEM), whose involvement highlights the growing recognition of the economic and social value that public spaces bring to regional development.
Over three days, attendees can look forward to workshops held in actual Tijuana parks, keynote lectures, educational sessions showcasing success stories from Mexico and Latin America, and the Public Space Expo, where leading companies in the sector will present their latest offerings. Key topics will include nature and sustainability, health and well-being, urban technology, governance, citizen participation, and innovative financing models for public spaces.
The congress aims to bring together all the key players who shape the quality of a city’s public spaces: public officials, architects, landscape architects, urban planners, academics, civil organizations, and private sector companies.
“Borders do not divide, they connect.” That is the message of this year’s edition, coming from Tijuana, a city whose very geography already proves the point.
