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"Barcelona's model must strike a balance between being a global city and preserving its local identity" by Paula Ciria

"Barcelona's model must strike a balance between being a global city and preserving its local identity" by Paula Ciria

We interviewed Paula Ciria, participant in Barcelona Global's leadership and city program and New Business Coordinator at Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Ciria is currently working on the implementation of the operation of the Lleida-Manresa line and the Airport shuttle.

What do you expect from the Barcelona of 2040?

Barcelona is a city with a unique geography and history, and its future will depend on how it addresses the challenges of connectivity, sustainability and territorial growth. Barcelona is surrounded by four natural barriers, with the Mediterranean and Collserola to the north and south, and the Besòs and Llobregat rivers to the east and west. In this sense, I hope that by 2040 it will be better connected to its surroundings by overcoming these natural barriers, and that these connections will be both mobility and technological and will allow for better integration with the metropolitan area and beyond, evolving the city towards a broader territorial concept. I also hope that by 2040 we will have completed the major infrastructures planned in the 20th century and will be executing those that respond to the challenges of the future, expanding and strengthening the territorial fabric in the same way that major interventions did at the time, such as the creation of the ring roads or the arrival of the high-speed train between Barcelona and Madrid. I also hope that we have learned from previous experiences and managed to establish a consensual and coordinated planning between administrations, with a long-term vision and continuity beyond the political cycles of four years, as well as to implement more efficient management and financing models that allow us to move forward at the pace required by a modern, competitive and sustainable city.

With which city would you compare Barcelona to?

At a territorial and infrastructural level, we can compare Barcelona with several cities in the world that have taken or are taking a leap in scale thanks to key projects. In Tokyo, they have a high-speed network that connects the country's main cities. In addition, they have a suburban transport network that provides service around the major centers that make up each city and, finally, urban networks that offer last-mile solutions and proximity transport that completes point-to-point transport. In Tokyo, I would highlight the intermodality and coordination between the networks at different levels and the high quality of each of them, resulting in a highly efficient system that is independent of the private vehicle. In Paris, the Grand Paris Express rail project is being implemented in the metropolitan area, which includes the construction of four new lines that will surround the capital and connect different developing neighborhoods and the city's three airports. Of particular note in this project is the objective of boosting the peripheral economic areas and ensuring their interconnection without relying exclusively on the center, all through a sustainable transport system. Grand Paris Express, que incluye la construcción de cuatro nuevas líneas que rodearán la capital y conectarán diferentes barrios en pleno desarrollo y los tres aeropuertos de la ciudad. De este proyecto, merece especial atención el objetivo de impulsar las áreas económicas periféricas y garantizar su interconexión sin depender exclusivamente del centro, todo ello mediante un sistema de transporte sostenible.

What model of city do you think Barcelona should be like?

Barcelona must promote a city model that combines sustainability, efficiency and quality of life. Its future does not lie in replicating other models, but in adapting global best practices to its own context. The ideal city model for Barcelona will be one based on proximity: a connected metropolis where people can access services and opportunities quickly and sustainably, while minimizing environmental impact. This model must be a balance between being a global city and maintaining its local identity.

What is the main challenge Barcelona must address in the coming years?

Barcelona has several challenges in the pipeline, such as access to housing, resilience to climate change and tourism management. But focusing on the infrastructure sector, the main challenges are long-term technical planning, financing and efficient management, which are interrelated. Long-term technical planning, agreed upon by the many public and private stakeholders involved, is necessary and must anticipate the demographic, technological and climatic changes that will influence the city and its metropolitan area. Financing mechanisms must ensure that these plans can be implemented in a sustainable and continuous manner over time, whether through public budgets, European funds, debt or green bonds, public-private partnerships, concessions, or a combination of several of these mechanisms. In addition, public administrations must be able to manage in an agile manner by reducing bureaucracy, improving inter-administrative coordination, and making available and attracting qualified personnel.

What do you think should be the role of the new generations and their involvement in the development of the city?

The new generations have the responsibility to learn from the previous ones and continue working on Barcelona's great challenges. But they must also innovate, bringing new ways of doing things that are more technological, transversal and connected.

What business sectors do you think Barcelona needs to focus on?

Barcelona must be committed to business sectors that provide social, environmental and economic value, and to this end one of the focuses must be on attracting and developing talent, creating collaborative environments that promote innovation. This includes investing in training, improving the quality of urban life and fostering ecosystems that promote both local talent and its ability to attract international talent. It is precisely through talent and technical and professional leadership that the city's challenges can be overcome, both in the infrastructure sector and in other sectors that have an impact on Barcelona.

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