Barcelona and New York mayors exchange policies on housing, food and climate

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni met New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Saturday in New York, during the Urban20 (U20) summit, to exchange experiences on affordable housing, food access, climate resilience, tourism and international cooperation between cities.

One of the main topics was affordable food. Collboni told Mamdani that Barcelona plans to launch a pilot network of affordable food shops in 2027 in the Marina del Prat Vermell.

The shops will operate from municipally owned premises and are intended to provide fresh, quality food at affordable prices in areas where basic food retail is insufficient.

Management is expected to be handled by non-profit or third-sector organisations.

The Barcelona initiative will also be linked to vocational training and employment opportunities. The city stresses that the shops are intended to complement, rather than compete with, private retailers.

Housing

Collboni and Mamdani also discussed housing policy. Collboni explained Barcelona's rent regulation and its planned ban on tourist apartments.

On climate resilience, Mamdani showed interest in Barcelona's programme to improve school climate control, financed through the city's tourist tax.

At a later roundtable, Collboni called on mayors around the world to join a new alliance for affordable housing, following the proposal by Mamdani.

The initiative, backed so far by New York, Toronto and Mexico City, aims to share housing solutions and coordinate action on short-term rental platforms and large investment funds, with a first roadmap meeting planned in Barcelona in November.

The U20 summit, taking place in New York on September 19-21, brings together mayors and representatives from 38 cities.

This year’s priorities are affordable housing and homelessness; climate action, sustainability and resilience; and the protection of immigrant communities and human mobility.

The summit will produce recommendations for G20 leaders ahead of the G20 meeting in Miami in December.