"New generations must build a more livable and sustainable city"

The New Barcelona Post talks this month with Marc Palà, one of the young people participating in the leadership and city program taught by Barcelona Global, Barcelona 2040. Palà is co-CEO of EMESA Corporación Empresarial, a private investment company focused on Real Estate and industrial companies. 

The objective of this series of interviews is for this new generation of leaders to share their vision of the Barcelona of the future they aspire to, as well as their impact proposals for the improvement of the city.

--- What do you expect from Barcelona in 2040? 

--- I expect a Barcelona that is understood in metropolitan terms, that has managed to balance its growth —demographic and economic— with the quality of life of its citizens. An innovative metropolis, with more green spaces and efficient mobility thanks to the optimization and integration of the different public and individual transport networks, where technology is at the service of people and where there is a commitment to the preservation of its cultural identity. 

--- Which city would you compare Barcelona to? 

--- Barcelona, like surely every city, is unique due to its history, its location, and its dynamism. However, in terms of innovation, economic development, social integration, and quality of life, it could be compared to cities in Northern European countries, such as Copenhagen, which have managed to combine economic development with citizen well-being and a strong commitment to sustainability. 

"Barcelona must aspire to be a model of metropolitan integration"

--- Barcelona must aspire to be a model of metropolitan integration. The sea and the mountains limit Barcelona's geography as a municipality; if we are capable of seeing it as a supramunicipal reality and local administrations align to execute that vision, investing in infrastructure and improving connectivity, Barcelona has no limits. For this, Barcelona has to be integrating and the rest of the municipalities must want to take advantage of its brand and attraction.

--- What is the main challenge Barcelona must solve in the coming years?

--- Responding to the growing demand for housing, along with improving mobility. Tourist pressure and investment demand have generated inflationary pressure in the housing market in a city where supply is limited, making it increasingly difficult for young people and local families to continue living there. The metropolitan vision would allow generating attractive supply in municipalities where there would be demand if they were well connected.

"Barcelona must also bet on the industrial sector, a sector in which it was once a reference"

--- New generations have a key role in the transformation of the city. They must be protagonists in the construction of a more livable, technologically advanced, and sustainable city. To achieve this, they must get involved, whether from civil society organizations, public administrations, or the private sector. The vision I mentioned earlier requires the involvement of all sectors and close public-private collaboration.

--- Which business sectors do you think Barcelona should bet on?

--- It is clear that Barcelona must bet on technology and medical and pharmaceutical research, areas in which it is a reference in Southern Europe. But I believe, and this is probably less sexy, that Barcelona, understood in metropolitan terms, must also bet on the industrial sector, a sector in which it was once a reference and which, thanks to technological innovations and robotics ---which still has a long way to go--- will undergo a great revolution.