'Barcelona Metròpolis' celebrates 40 years

Founded in 1986 in pre-Olympic Barcelona, the publication has captured the pulse of the city in its pages for four crucial decades during which Barcelona has experienced significant urban, social, and cultural transformations.

The magazine was born with the name Barcelona. Mediterranean Metropolis (B.MM), at a time when the city was facing a true urban revolution: from the metamorphosis of the seafront to the opening of the ring roads or the birth of the new 22@ district. But also the first debates about tourism, traffic reduction, or the need to re-naturalize the city. Over time, Barcelona Metrópolis has adapted to the needs dictated by current events, reaching its current stage, where it has acquired a more reflective character on the great debates faced by global cities of the 21st century, always from an analytical and propositional perspective.

Throughout these four decades, the magazine has had four directors. The longest-serving director, journalist Joan-Anton Benach, led it for twenty years, until 2006. He was succeeded by Manuel Cruz (2007-2012) and Bernat Puigtobella (2012-2017) and, since 2018, the direction has been held by the accredited journalist Milagros Pérez Oliva.

Trames de Barcelona Metròpolis

This history has been reflected in the book Trames de Barcelona Metròpolis, published by the Barcelona City Council, which, through a compilation of articles, photographs, and illustrations, traces Barcelona's transformations and the debates it has generated over time in its pages.

From the early stages, notable writers include Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Maria Aurèlia Capmany, Oriol Bohigas, Jean Nouvel and Ricard Bofill. More recently, influential names such as Richard Sennett, Alain Touraine, Paul Preston, Vandana Shiva and Victoria Camps have appeared in its pages. In total, the book includes excerpts from a hundred articles, in addition to a good number of photographs showing the evolution of the city and iconic illustrations that have accompanied the texts.

The volume can be downloaded for free in PDF format from both the magazine's website (barcelona.cat/metropolis) and the Barcelona Llibres website (https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/barcelonallibres/ca). In addition, a landing page (www.barcelona.cat/metropolis/ca/40-aniversari) has been published, which contains the complete list of articles included in the book.

The magazine is premiering

On its 40th anniversary, Barcelona Metròpolis premieres a renewed header and a modern graphic design, thus beginning a new stage, from now on with the subtitle Quarterly of thought and city. The content structure continues to give prominence to reflection on the city, from a global and local perspective, through a monographic observatory that always features prominent authors and offers a multifaceted perspective on the topic under debate. The photographic report, a hallmark of the magazine, is now presented in a central gallery format.

The new design opts for flexibility. Thus, the perfect binding that has always accompanied the magazine has been replaced by staple binding, which gives it ductility and lightness. The number of pages is reduced without sacrificing any content, by making better use of space. And the printing, in two inks except for the central photographic spread, allows for resource savings and gives the magazine a modern and innovative look.

In this new stage, illustration, which has been a historical commitment of Barcelona Metròpolis, continues to play a leading role. And, as a novelty, a cartoon commissioned for each issue to a different author is incorporated. Interviews, reports, debates, and reviews round out the content.

In parallel with the launch of the new print edition, Barcelona Metròpolis is launching a new website, with the same previous address (barcelona.cat/metropolis), but with a new content distribution, more dynamic and aligned with current trends.

With all this, the magazine begins a new and exciting stage.