In our fifth and last episode recorded live at the Urban Future Conference 2023, we had the pleasure of talking with Oriol Estela Barnet, the General Coordinator of the Metropolitan Strategic Plan Association of Barcelona (or PEMB) in Spain.

He told us all about the challenges and initiatives he is working on for the metropolitan region of Barcelona and highlighted the importance of collaboration, partnerships, and inclusive governance to create a more sustainable urban future.

Overview of the episode:

01:57 - Teaser: What are the differences and commonalities between Stuttgart, Germany and Barcelona, Spain?

03:40 - Oriol's background as an economist and a geographer

07:20 - What is Oriol working on and what is the Metropolitan Commitment 2030?

09:14 - What is an example of an unlikely partnership?

11:48 - What are the biggest challenges that the Metropolitan region is facing?

16:06 - How can practitioners on the ground bring the vision from the Metropolitan Commitment to life?

21:38 - What are the upcoming initiatives in the Metropolitan region of Barcelona?

25:18 - What are the most crucial elements for success from the economist's point of view?

27:54 - What are the most crucial elements for success from the geographer's point of view?

33:54 - Roll With The Punches: our guests answer this or that questions quickly, and with their first instincts

36:28 - Ending Question: To you, what is a Smart City?

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