Progressive procurement and corporate accountability in Barcelona
Public procurement is one of the areas where it is possible to achieve progress in making transnational corporations accountable, particularly with a view to making public policies consistent and coherent. In Europe, since the last revision of the EU directives on public procurement, there have…
Municipalist politics and the specter of emancipation
In the past decade there has been a rise of new politics that have stemmed from different political backgrounds and contexts, and although they sometimes differ significantly, each was a manifestation of the “specter of emancipation” that was haunting the world. However, this emancipatory push…
Cities ask if it’s time to defund police and ‘reimagine’ public safety
In the US, Minneapolis is not the only city asking the question of how to approach public safety and emergency response after national unrest following the death of George Floyd. The calls to redirect money away from the police come as cities face steep budget…
Cities for a social and solidarity way out of the crisis caused by COVID-19
Concerned by the transition their cities out of the crisis caused by COVID-19 looking for a social and solidarity way out, the mayors of Amsterdam, Milan, Barcelona and Paris speak out and share their considerations with the European institutions. Photo: Jp Valery
The seven largest Spanish cities claim stronger role against COVID-19
The mayors of the seven largest Spanish cities took part in a video conference to discuss their role in the fight against COVID-19. Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga and Murcia have united under C-7, to defend their common interests and to claim more involvement…
World cities turn their streets over to walkers and cyclists
A growing number of cities around the world are temporarily reallocating road space from cars to people on foot and on cycles to keep key workers moving and residents in coronavirus lockdown healthy and active while socially distancing. Photo: Jack Van Hel
City stories: The podcast by Energy Cities. Episode with Alba del Campo from Cadiz
In this episode of “City Stories” Alba del Campo, a Spanish journalist and activist fighting for more energy democracy. She has been an advisor to the local authority of Cadiz since 2015. A new local government elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019. Since then,…
Showcase cities, agora cities. A vision of Barcelona built on solidarity
A globalised city like Barcelona can choose to either continue on its current path towards becoming a “showcase city” – one that is eager to please tourists and investors, or rebuild the city, basing it on the idea of an “agora” city – focussed on…
How EU rules are getting in the way of progressive public policy – and how cities are fighting back
Over recent years there’s been a surge in European cities that, via public tendering, are using their spending power far more pro-actively and strategically to promote social justice and environmental goals. Leading this trend are city governments that define themselves as municipalist and are committed…