Coalition for the sustainability of the León Urban Lab

On February 19, 2026, WRI Mexico and Tecnológico de Monterrey (Bajío Campus) formalized a collaboration agreement to ensure the continuity of the León Urban Lab (UL) beyond the conclusion of the Transformative Urban Coalitions (TUC) project in December 2026. The signing took place with the participation of Urban Lab members, who have actively promoted its sustainability strategy.

The signing was held during the public event "Architect Night: Reimagining León as a Smart City", at Tecnológico de Monterrey. Participants included university officials, Mariana Campos (WRI Mexico), and Verónica Rico and Claudia García, members of the UL’s Sustainability Committee, representing the Lab.

Guadalupe García and Melissa Delgado presented the general framework of the collaboration. Subsequently, Mariana shared the main progress made in León through the Lab and the activities currently underway.

Towards the end of the event, Verónica Rico, from Ecobag León, spoke about the challenges of ensuring the Urban Lab’s continuity and the role of the Sustainability Committee in this process. She emphasized that the Committee's objective is to develop the necessary foundations for the Lab to continue operating as a neutral and relevant space. At the end of her presentation, she invited attendees to learn more about the UL's work.

Claudia García highlighted the difference between the Lab and other participatory spaces, describing the experience and capabilities her collective, URBE, gained as a participant in the UL. Claudia concluded by inviting attendees to join this effort in León, with the potential to truly impact the city.

This agreement marks a milestone in the final phase of the TUC project, whose ultimate goal is to consolidate a sustainable urban governance model. Since June 2023, Urban Lab members have been reflecting on its future and have identified the preservation of its continuity, neutrality and multisectoral nature as a priority. Therefore, considering academia as the ideal actor to adopt the initiative, given its active role within the UL.

The strategy will be carried out through a Sustainability Committee comprised of representatives from various sectors and Tecnológico de Monterrey, as well as all UL members. This framework envisions the progressive transfer of leadership, with the Committee gradually assuming coordination of the governance model. In 2026, WRI will provide technical and methodological support, as well as the transfer of tools and materials to ensure an informed transition. Once the TUC project concludes, the Lab's continuity and operation will be fully undertaken by the Committee, consolidating its autonomy and local ownership.

In its initial phase, the Committee defined the UL’s governance framework, including the rules, principles, and mechanisms for its future operation, and it supported the institutional transition to Tecnológico de Monterrey, identifying needs and opportunities for a sustainable transfer. It also assumed responsibility for safeguarding the space's core values (neutrality, multisectoral involvement, transparency and collaboration), monitoring established agreements, strengthening strategic alliances, and developing an annual work plan with priority areas to be validated by the UL's plenary session.

With this agreement, the León Urban Lab takes a decisive step toward its consolidation as a permanent space for dialogue, collaboration, and advocacy in the city's sustainable transformation.