Debt. The straightjacket on municipalism
One of the main goals of the “municipalities of change”, elected in 2015 in Spain, was to tackle the debt problem. Drawing on the experience of civil society, they sought to develop approaches such as “citizen audits”, but found themselves facing the power of finance….
Switching off Spain’s electricity oligopoly. Three proposals to dismantle the corporate power of Spain’s electricity companies
In Spain, as in other countries, the electricity sector remains dominated by a handful of large companies, powerful enough to impose their interests and hinder the energy transition. Movements against energy poverty and green cooperatives show a path towards greater energy democracy, but a third…
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…
European cities see life without crowds of tourists – And want to keep it that way
The coronavirus shutdown has had a devastating effect on European city’s economy like Amsterdam, Prague and Barcelona. Tourism is the lifeblood of many of these continent’s historic cities, many hope the pandemic will end up changing tourism for the better. According to Shaul Bassi, director…
Will coronavirus change tourism in Europe’s hotspot cities?
Tourism accounts for about an eighth of GDP in Spain and Italy, which were both badly hit by the coronavirus. Desperate not to lose the summer, Italy cautiously reopened its borders and Spain it set to follow. But no one expects mass tourism to resume…
Municipal recipes 2
Two months after the 2019 municipal elections this second part of the documentary ‘Municipalist Recipe’ records Claudia Delso, Elena Giner, Gala Pin, Ysabel Torralbo and Guillermo Zapata in conversation reflecting on their experiences in the institutions and what has happened in the last 4 years….
Matthew Thompson on new municipalism
What is New Municipalism? Matthew Thompson, author of the article What’s so new about new municipalism? published in February 2020, walks us through the evolution of the concept of new municipalism starting from its origins, passing through international municipalism as a way of the sharing…
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…
The new municipalism (part 2)
In the second part of the New Municipalism series, Ross talks to Barcelona-based scholar-activist Laura Roth. She talks about the Spanish experience, particularly in relation to Barcelona en Comú, the movement party, which has been in minority government since 2014. Laura talked about a range…