Barcelona opens the doors

 Read the story here: Catalan News

Barcelona has been designated UNESCO World Capital of Architecture 2026 — not only because of its iconic buildings, but especially because of the way it works with urban planning and housing development as a shared concern. There is much to learn here about social sustainability for the citizens of a major city.

The city is rolling out a year-long programme with 140 exhibitions, debates and workshops, where the city itself functions as a learning space. Architecture and urban planning are used to address inequality, climate and health, district by district, month by month.

Underprioritised neighbourhoods will also become focal points. Here, citizen involvement is an established method: How do citizens actually experience living here, and how can this be translated into future housing planning? Iconic housing developments, which are normally closed to the public, will also open their doors. Perhaps this could include Walden 7, Ricardo Bofill’s (Taller de Arquitectura) visionary housing complex, which combines geometric forms with Catalan brickwork, a prioritisation of informal meeting places, planting and many different apartment types (1975).