Rivas, a welcoming city
Rivas is a young and open city. The average age of its population is 30, making it the town with the youngest average age in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. This characteristic has predisposed the 66,000 inhabitants of the city to participate actively in movements for social change and cultural initiatives. This attribute has led the city to be labelled as one of the most progressive in the country.

The Third World Social Forum on Migrations represents a unique opportunity for the people of Rivas to once again experience and connect with the extraordinary atmosphere of diversity and human enrichment that was experienced two years ago with the second edition of the Forum. Back then, two thousand delegates from all five continents filled the streets with colour and stories from around the world.

Almost 10% of the population of Rivas has been born abroad, in countries both far and near. The welcoming nature of the inhabitants of Rivas (Ripenses), has allowed all people to integrate themselves in the life of the city. This reinforces the belief that another world is possible, one that fosters equality in the relationships amongst people.

Rivas is located 14 kilometres southeast of the Puerta del Sol, (the geographic centre of Spain) in the Community of Madrid. As such, it is the closest city to the nation’s capital. 75% of its territory is situated in the national Park of the Southeast (Parque Regional del Sureste) squeezed in between the steep cliffs and the lagoons where the two rivers Manzanares and Jarama meet.

THE STRUGGLE FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Another of the distinguishing features of the inhabitants of Rivas is, undoubtedly, their conscientious struggle to preserve the environment. The Centre for Environmental Resources Chico Mendes, is located here. This centre is named for the ill-fated Brazilian leader who came face to face with the landowners of his country who were determined to deforest the Amazon; and who, since, has become a reference for the advancement of sustainable life. Interesting work is being undertaken at the Centre to increase awareness of the consequences of living in a society that consumes endlessly, and that poses a serious menace to the survival of the planet.

The struggle for sustainability has led to Rivas Ecopolis, a program of 38 measures, that are already being applied to different areas of the city and that seeks to increase awareness and modify behaviour to fight against climate change.

Another ambitious project that is being undertaken is the decontamination of the former rubbish dump of Madrid; one of the largest abandoned rubbish dumps in Spain. There are approximately 8 million tonnes of refuse varying between 12 to 30 metres in thickness. As of February 2007, in its place they have begun to build a public green space of more than 300 hectares, with an open-air auditorium with 11,000 seat capacity as well as an exhibition site. The inhabitants of Rivas will be able to cycle there thanks to the bicycle lane network that is in its development phase, and that eventually will have an extension of 34 kilometres.

EDUCATION, SPORTS AND CULTURE
During the last two decades, our city has invested public funds in the provision of services with universal coverage. There are 25 public education centres, as well as two municipal sports complexes that have more than 45,000 users per week. Also, more than 1,500 units of public housing have been built each legislature for the inhabitants and workers which has allowed our youth to become financially independent four years before the national average. Furthermore, pioneer environmental ordinances have been approved which require solar panels to be installed in all new construction. And finally, the role of women in public life has been irrefutably strengthened – with a labour force participation rate of 57.95%. Rivas has the highest percentage of women who work outside the home in the Autonomous Community of Madrid.

The network of libraries, cultural and youth centres as well as the workshops of the Open University has increased the level of education and cultural awareness. This is yet another battle won by the different governments of the Left that have presided the city in the past decades. Popular public street festivals are a mainstay in Rivas, and feature permanently in municipal plans. A manifest example is the ”fiesta de la cultura en la calle”, a festival of street culture that will ensure that the participants of the III WSFM, as well as the people of Rivas, will enjoy and partake in the high quality performance arts during the days of the Forum.

HOW TO GET THERE
By road: on the A-3 there are three exits to the city: Kilometer 13 (Rivas Oeste – West Rivas), KM 17 Rivas Centro (Rivas Centre), and KM 19 Casco Antiguo (old quarter); and by the M-823, a road that comes off the M-203 (Mejorada-Vicálvaro).

By metro: on line 9 (Herrera Oria-Arganda del Rey), with two stops in Rivas (Rivas Urbanizaciones and Rivas Vaciamadrid), and a third one under construction (Rivas Futura).

Furthermore, there are four bus routes that connect Rivas with Madrid (Plaza Conde de Casal).

FESTIVALS
Rivas celebrates its local festival the second weekend of September. It also celebrates the feast day of San Isidro, on the 15th of May.