Interview with Dr. Joan Clos, former Mayor of Barcelona By: Inger Jägerhorn
Q: What was it that caused you to embark on a program for sustainability for Barcelona in the first place? A: Barcelona was in an economic crisis in the late 80s with a high unemployment rate after most of the industries located in the city were shutting down. The public and the private sector joined efforts to plan a medium-‐term strategy to allow the creation of new job opportunities and to regenerate the city that had some structural problems in terms of basic services, mobility, public space, etc. The urban development of Barcelona, with the result that we see now, was not a project of five years, but a work of more than 30 years with several teams working on it. We set out to turn the crisis around and use the development instead to create jobs and opportunities. A strong public-‐private partnership allowed the city to bid for the Olympic Games in 1992 and plan the Barcelona22@. We embarked on the ambitious project to renovate the city’s industrial and technological zones. Q: How much did you personally participate in launching and realizing this plan? A: As I have mentioned, the key for the success of the urban transformation of Barcelona was the continuity of the project and how different mayors and groups of the city over the last 30 years have continued investing in the process. I was mayor of Barcelona for nearly 10 years, but before I was working there for nearly another 20 years as a Deputy Mayor. I witnessed the common efforts that allowed the change. There are other cities in the world that are following a similar process, such as Medellin, Colombia, that even with political changes in the municipal government have invested in the urban transformation with a strong collaboration of all actors and stakeholders of the city. Q: Which were the key issues that you addressed at the beginning of this process? Was it the interaction between the international community and local firms and institutions in Barcelona? A: There were different urgent issues to be solved in a city suffering the impact of the economic crisis, including floods due to inadequate drainage system, slums in areas of strong immigration in the 60s, poor public transport and a social fracture in terms of access to public space. There was a need of a holistic approach and integrated action. We saw the bid for the Olympic Games as an opportunity to bring funds, vision and collaboration to start changing all those aspects. Global Utmaning är en fristående tankesmedja. Vi är ett kvalificerat nätverk från samhälle, näringsliv och forskning som verkar för lösningar på de globala utmaningar som rör ekonomi, miljö och demokrati. Birger Jarlsgatan 27 ·∙ 111 45 Stockholm ·∙ 08-‐787 2150 ·∙ info@globalutmaning.se ·∙
www.globalutmaning.se
Q: What role did the civil service and public administration play in this work? A: Spain was under military rule until 1975 and we didn’t have our first municipal elections until 1979. The 80s were a period of commitment and hard work from all organizations, institutions and civil society groups to improve the quality of life of the citizens and to ensure better access and opportunities to services like education and health. The civil service and public administration played a relevant role, building new political institutions transparent and effective. Q: Was there a political unity in Barcelona? A: It was a special period and a lot of pages written about it and the so called “Barcelona model”. Not only political forces, also economic ones and civil society understood the crucial moment for the city. Q: Was central government helpful? A: As I have said, after Franco’s rule over Spain for 35 years, the commitment of the society for a transition towards a democratic system was exemplary, from all levels national, regional and local. It is quite complicated to explain those years in just one answer but everyone came together. Q: What role did the civil society play? A: The civil society in Barcelona was an active movement before the 80s and after. They were consistent in promoting the improvement of the city. Barcelona is well known for its strong civil society network. Q: In a project like this many parties are affected – commercial interests, lobby groups, political parties etc. Where did you find the best supporters for your plan? Who were the hardest opponents? A: Any process of change implies negotiations, agreements and conflicts at times. I should say that I found strong collaboration from most of the actors involved. It was not proposed as a plan from the Municipality, but a plan from the city as a whole. The process of building consensus was difficult and the magic moment was to achieve that consensus and start to work. Q: There is said to be “tipping points” in climate change. Did you notice a tipping point also in the public’s acceptance of the plan? Can you identify what made it happen? Global Utmaning är en fristående tankesmedja. Vi är ett kvalificerat nätverk från samhälle, näringsliv och forskning som verkar för lösningar på de globala utmaningar som rör ekonomi, miljö och demokrati. Birger Jarlsgatan 27 ·∙ 111 45 Stockholm ·∙ 08-‐787 2150 ·∙ info@globalutmaning.se ·∙
www.globalutmaning.se
A: There were several tipping points in such a long process. Of course, the Barcelona Olympic Games is the one that everybody refers to, but there were other ones not so well-‐known: the opening of the Diagonal in the Besos area, each library that we opened, the enlargement of the public transport systems with the arrival of the High Velocity Train, the public spaces recuperated and transformed to allow people to enjoy them, the food markets regenerated… Q: How did you promote commitment and responsibility at national and local level? A: We did this by promoting transparency, accountability and efficiency. We managed taxes that citizens paid to contribute to common goods and ensured commitment and responsibility at national and local levels to use them for the plan jointly agreed as a society. Q: Which were the biggest challenges for you as a leader of the project? What has been the impact of i.e. the financial crises? A: Every day you have several challenges, some of them last a long time, others you face for a short period of time. Any financial crisis has a strong impact and unemployment, especially among young people, is a situation that as politician you never like to manage. Q: What has happened after the year 2009? Has the original plan been changed or improved? A: As I said before, there was not a plan but a vision for the city and a common effort from different actors. A city is in a constant state of change, adaptation and growth. Q: How do you define good leadership? A: Good leadership should be a continued goal. We see a lot of good mayors that after four years of implementing an urban transformation are replaced for new teams that change the vision and start new processes not allowing results to be achieved. A city is made up of many different levels of management and in turn fits into regional and national structures which increasingly these days have to be seen in a global context. Leadership is about recognizing and taking into account all of these aspects and finding a way to move everyone forward. Q: What advice would you give to other Mayors concerning leadership? A: Being a Mayor is an extremely privileged and unique position and one that I still hold in high esteem, as can be seen through my work with United Cities and Local Governments and other organisations. I would advise any Mayor to take his role seriously and see it as a chance to take advantage of the urbanization process to create economic and social opportunities. Too often, urban growth is seen as something negative, something that should be curbed or halted. Global Utmaning är en fristående tankesmedja. Vi är ett kvalificerat nätverk från samhälle, näringsliv och forskning som verkar för lösningar på de globala utmaningar som rör ekonomi, miljö och demokrati. Birger Jarlsgatan 27 ·∙ 111 45 Stockholm ·∙ 08-‐787 2150 ·∙ info@globalutmaning.se ·∙
www.globalutmaning.se
I advise Mayors to embrace the changes and plan cities that can create opportunities for their citizens, harnessing the advantages that you find in a city as opposed to rural areas. And come to the World Urban Forum in Medellin, Colombia in April 2014 to share your experiences and be part of the global urban dialogue! Q: What is your advice to other cities to achieve a good result in city planning? What capacities and institutions are needed? A: Cities need to plan realistically and to the scale of the challenges that face them. If your population is growing, plan for that growth and for the needs of your citizens in the future. Look to optimize rather than maximize density so you benefit from the urban advantage. By allocating sufficient space for streets and public space you create opportunities for private investment and ensure mobility. Above all encourage your citizens to participate and genuinely listen to their ideas. Whoever we are, when we live in a city we all have the chance to be City Changers.
Global Utmaning är en fristående tankesmedja. Vi är ett kvalificerat nätverk från samhälle, näringsliv och forskning som verkar för lösningar på de globala utmaningar som rör ekonomi, miljö och demokrati. Birger Jarlsgatan 27 ·∙ 111 45 Stockholm ·∙ 08-‐787 2150 ·∙ info@globalutmaning.se ·∙
www.globalutmaning.se