Barcelona to host Housing World Summit in November 

Barcelona will host the first edition of the Housing World Summit (HOWS) from November 3 to 5. 

It will be a congress, promoted by the Barcelona City Council and organized by Fira de Barcelona, bringing together administrations, companies and experts from public and private sectors, to debate policies and solutions on the housing crisis. 

"We want Barcelona to be the world capital of the debate on housing. And not only of the debate, but also of the solutions," said the director of the congress and the Smart City Expo World Congress, Ugo Valenti.

The HOWS program will be structured around five main ideas; urban planning and land policies, housing regulation, social and affordable housing, innovation in construction and rehabilitation, renovation and reuse of residential stock. 

The summit will be three days of shared experiences and projects promoting new housing policies. 

Additionally, the Barcelona Housing and Rehabilitation Forum (FAR) will be involved to add experience, talent and debate capacity to the new event. 

According to the Deputy Mayor for Economy, Jordi Valls, housing is "the great challenge" that cities will face in the coming years, "a fact that justifies" the creation of a specific space to address the issue.

Valls pushes for more ambitious housing policies and international debate on regulation, production, financing, innovation and rehabilitation.