Barcelona aims to create 100,000 jobs in 20 new projects over next decade
Local council proposes to "transform" the economic model to make it "more competitive, sustainable and equitable"
The Barcelona city council wants to "reactivate" the city's economy through the promotion of twenty projects, generating 100,000 new jobs over the next ten years.
"Barcelona wants to be the engine of the country's economic prosperity again," deputy mayor Jaume Collboni said at the opening of the Barcelona reAct conference.
The local council also aims to "transform" the economic model of the Catalan capital to leave "uncontrolled speculation" behind and "win the future" with a commitment to inclusive and equitable growth based on sustainability.
The new initiatives are projected for the Zona Franca industrial area near the port, Montjuïc, the city centre, 22@, and the Besòs neighbourhood, with the aim of developing mixed-use urban projects, combined with a commitment to sustainable mobility.
Among the projects are a plan to boost investments in affordable housing in Zona Franca and to encourage the "permanent activity" of Fira de Barcelona congress hall, with activities focusing on the green economy and creative industries.
The city council is also working on the “iconic" post office project and the remodelling of Via Laietana to attract more investment in the city centre. The aim is to encourage people to return to work and live in the area and "energize neighbourhood life."
Authorities explained that the goal of these projects is to revive the economy, save companies and jobs, and create up to 100,000 new jobs in ten years.
Collboni insists on the importance of transforming the city's economy to move beyond that generate poverty and inequality.
The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, gave a similar message, calling for industry players to seize the moment and for authorities to rethink existing models to give way to a "fairer, more ethical, and more humane" economy.