Barcelona capital of the century…

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n the past municipal elections, the main axis of debate was to define what Barcelona we need to live in, and everything seems to indicate that in the next ones it will be to determine what Barcelona we want to project for the future. The leap from one axis to another is the leap from the need that arose in 2008, a result of the economic crisis, to the illusion of seeing it feasible to project a new, more competitive and inclusive Barcelona. The question is to offer a city project to citizens that encourages them to vote.

Beyond ideological competition, of proposing more or less feasible offers to fulfill, there is a mood among the inhabitants of Barcelona that could be synthesized in the need to clearly know what city we will inhabit in the next twenty years. That new Barcelona will be the result of having known how to face the changes that will modify our notion of mobility, connectivity, identity, commerce, consumption, governance of public institutions, security, demography, or culture. To understand the evolution of the city, let's consider the approach Walter Benjamin made in his article Paris, Capital of the Nineteenth Century to describe the new elements that conferred Paris the status of world capital.

ROUTINES OR EXPERIENCES

Just as commercial passages shaped the physiognomy of 19th-century Paris streets and marked the beginning of a new era characterized by new forms of consumption; in the 21st century, the concept of a store as a space identified for directly buying a product with the intermediation of a salesperson will give way to spaces/experiences such as the Apple store in Plaça Catalunya. One enters the Apple Store as if entering a temple. Upon entering, one must go up a staircase that leads to the place of rest and technological prayer. Another example is the new "la Caixa" offices where users enter a blue, quiet, and friendly world, without the stridency of queues and turns. The disappearance of the space solely for buying is gradually becoming an experience in which the buyer/user has the impression of acquiring a lasting heritage and a story to share with others.

In the famous clothing store Santa Eulalia, which this year celebrated 175 years of existence, one can buy a tie or a perfume, or eat surrounded by an excellent collection of photographs that are on par with a contemporary art gallery. The same happens in Merci in Paris or in the now-closed Colette. The evolution of spaces in the city, both private and public, with their constant mutation, indicates that their future will be more suitable for hunters of unrepeatable moments than for lovers of routine. The city must be prepared for constant becoming in a continuous flow that surpasses the ephemeral. Cities always in the process of being.

FESTIVALS OR CREATIVE PLATFORMS

One of the main creative contributions of the city of Barcelona has been the launching of artistic projects that, supported by the idea of music festivals or visual arts exhibitions, have evolved into creative platforms that go beyond the closed experience of an event that lasts a defined time. The Sónar festival is a clear example of this way of understanding new forms of leisure and knowledge. At the Sónar electronic music festival, one can listen to music, attend an exhibition, see creation processes, or the latest technological trends.

The city of Barcelona lives between the tradition of the Gràcia or Mercè festivals and the creative and innovative platforms of festivals like Sónar or Primavera Sound. In the future, cities must be capable of commissioning creative projects independent of public management that design new event proposals for the city, that re-actualize its place in the international sphere, and that propose a new way of being in the world.

One of the main challenges for modern cities is to determine whether they are governed by citizen emotions or by political leaders. We are not only talking about social and political movements but also about social groups such as cyclists, taxi drivers, or other collectives that have managed with their actions to redefine the city we inhabit without citizens being able to participate directly in the debate

The expansion of video games, whether for leisure, educational, medical, or sports purposes, has positioned Barcelona as one of the capitals of European video gaming, alongside Madrid or Paris. It is interesting to note that a city connected to a business model that operates globally, without borders and in constant technological evolution from both a creative and economic point of view, highlights the need to prioritize talent and guarantee its training.

The video game sector is a symptom of a change that operates both in those who play and in those who develop the games. What is at stake is supporting an industry and seeing that it is the tip of the iceberg of a more global change that the city will have to face. A change based on the fact that citizens will establish parameters of conduct that should be reflected in the municipal policies of their city. The video game universe should be interpreted as a metaphor for a world that relates at a distance, that adapts more quickly to consumption changes, that moves in international networks and draws new forms of human relationship.

BARRICADES OR A NEW MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC SPACE

In very few years, the border separating private space from public space has been erased, due to the economic crisis, social inequality, and the crisis of parliamentary representation. We find that the difference between inside and outside has blurred. Cities will have to learn to redefine public space so that it maintains its public character and not just for those willing to demonstrate. One of the main challenges of modern cities is to determine whether it is governed by citizen emotions or by political leaders. We are not only talking about social and political movements but also social groups such as cyclists, taxi drivers, or other collectives that have managed with their actions to redefine the city we inhabit without citizens being able to participate directly in the debate.

Defining public space also implies being able to define virtual public space, which must also have a balanced and responsible use. The cities of the future will have to plan their growth by being able to control the public and guarantee the private.

These are some issues that Barcelona should be willing to debate to become aware of the need to adapt to the change that has begun to define the reality of many cities to its own change.