This autumn, from 8 to 13 October, a new edition of the Biennial of Thought will bring debate and reflection back to the city’s streets and squares. The event will feature more than 100 experts on topics including democracy, memory, postcolonialism, feminism, technology and climate change and cultural debates.

Under the theme ‘The Day After It All’, the fourth edition of the biennaldepensament.barcelona will focus on deconstructing the defining principles and dynamics of the past two centuries, which are now at odds with a future where sustainability, social justice and the fight against inequalities are paramount.

To reflect upon these major philosophical debates and the global transformations happening all around us, the Biennial will feature 120 participants and 65 free activities, with no prior registration necessary. The list of notable guests includes Herta Müller, Perejaume, Wajdi Mouawad, Jacques Rancière, Jason Hickel, Zadie Smith, Elena Martín, Donatella della Porta, Javier Pérez Royo, Eliane Brum, Oyèrónké Oyèwùmi, Begoña Román, Las Hijas De Felipe, Maria Rovira (Oye Sherman) and Ana Polo, Rocío Quillahuaman and Jean-Rémi Carbonneau.

The debates will take place in the CCCB, Can Felipa, Canòdrom, La Model, Plaça de Masadas, Plaça de la Virreina and the gardens of Pla i Armengol, among other venues. This edition of the Biennial coincides with Barcelona’s year as the European Capital of Democracy, which aims to strengthen the connection between participation and citizenship.Visit biennaldelpensament.barcelona for all the information.

The third edition of the Neighbourhood Plan, the series of small-scale actions to reduce inequalities in specific areas of Barcelona, is under way. The plan targets those who suffer the effects and consequences of vulnerability the most, such as women, elderly people, teenagers and migrants.

The plan should reach a quarter of the city’s population, around 27 neighbourhoods in seven different districts, with an overall investment of 300 million euros. Two unique urban regeneration plans will be added from 2025, for the mountain neighbourhoods and for La Marina del Prat Vermell.

The new Neighbourhood Plan consolidates some of the policies already started and acts in a more specific and intensive way in neighbourhoods covered in the previous editions. The plan is distributed in three main spheres: education and culture, public space and accessibility, and housing and renovation, with new strategies in the fight against inequalities.

You can find full information on the Neighbourhood Plan at pladebarris.barcelona.

In a context of climate emergency, the search for innovative solutions to achieve greater comfort and energy efficiency in buildings is essential. Barcelona is testing three prototypes that use industrialised construction to respond to the challenge to improve the habitability and sustainability of existing buildings, reducing CO₂ emissions and energy consumption.

The three winning projects from the ideas competition launched in 2022 by the Fundació BIT Habitat and the Municipal Institute of Urban Planning are the prototypes ALIGRA, Regenerar Barcelona and InnoFAB. The projects consist of large modules that resemble three building façades, designed to adapt to existing residential blocks.

Made of wood and metal, the structures add a new façade to buildings and help create new spaces (balconies, new rooms and communal areas), or to improve their insulation and the impact of the sun. Constructions are also planned for rooftops, to add solar panelling, green rooftops and enable buildings to collect and reuse rainwater. These industrial systems can be manufactured in parts in workshops and then assembled directly on buildings quickly, easily and economically.

The three prototypes will be monitored for 12 months at a site on the Campus Diagonal – Besòs of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), in Sant Adrià de Besòs, to assess their impact for health and comfort, urban resilience, energy efficiency, circular economy and biodiversity. This will be possible thanks to the installation of a smart sensor system able to continuously measure various parameters. You can find more information on the website bithabitat.barcelona.

One of Barcelona’s classic summer events is back. The Grec festival goes into its 48th edition with a return to its origins. This year’s programme is an inner journey, in search of the essence of this performing arts event and looking back at the history of the theatre. Most of all, the event seeks to celebrate artistic friendships and the alliances formed over the last eight years.

The programme includes big names from the international scene, essential figures in theatre, dance and circus arts: Lola Arias, Angélica Liddell, Christiane Jatahy, Jan Lauwers, Krzysztof Warlikowski, William Forsythe, Johan le Guilhem and Hofesh Schechter will be bringing their projects to the Teatre Lliure, the Mercat de les Flors and the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya.

Artists and companies with strong ties to the Grec also play a prominent part in this year’s programme. Silvia Pérez Cruz will be opening this edition with the project Circular, based on her latest disc, Toda la vida, un dia, offering three days of performances surrounded by artist friends. Other names at this year’s Grec include Antònia Font, Pau Vallvé and Kae Tempest.

The festival extends to more than fifty venues in Barcelona from 26 June to 4 August, with 81 shows and over 51 parallel activities. You’ll find full information and ticket purchasing on the website: festivalgrec.barcelona.

A new issue of the magazine Metròpolis Barcelona has been published with a new look. The magazine has a new design and its content has also been reorganised. Headed by Milagros Pérez Oliva, this quarterly publication will continue to foster calm and collected debate among the public, away from the vertigo of our times.

Issue 130, now available in full online on the website metropolis.barcelona, reflects on the city of five million people, how the metropolis has overwhelmed administrative borders, and calls for a coordinated transformation of public spaces and policies.

In this issue, the urban planner Oriol Nel·lo explains how residential segregation works, the geographer Mireia Belil describes the complex network of cities that make up Europe, and the sociologists Núria Gómez and Sergio Porcel talk about counterurbanisation, the migration from the city to the rural environment. There is also an interview with the journalist Francesc Escribano and a reflection on suburbanisation from the planning expert Margaret Crawford.

The magazine can also be downloaded in pdf format, purchased as a hard copy from the Sala Ciutat, or received directly by email by signing up for its newsletter.

Representatives from the .barcelona domain played an active role in the ICANN Contracted Parties meeting in Paris from 6 to 8 May. The event brought together domains, registration companies and groups of interest for the industry to address important topics for domains at a global level.

During the meeting we were able to meet with other geographical and city domains. We also played an active part in the various discussion sessions centring on important matters for the domain community, such as the NIS2 European regulation and the abuse of DNS. The NIS2 is an important regulation affecting cybersecurity at a European level and will come into force in October this year. On a separate note, DNS abuse, such as the improper use of domains for malicious activities, are a habitual concern for registration companies and we have been working for years to establish protocols that enable cases of abuse to be identified and eradicated quickly.

The presence and active participation of the .barcelona domain at this meeting demonstrates our commitment to the ongoing improvement of the domain industry and the defence of the interests of the digital community.

Barcelona is preparing a new edition of the eShow, to be held on 13 and 14 May. The annual event is the leading fair in e-commerce and digital marketing, bringing together professionals from the e-commerce sector, digital marketing, big data and AI.

The .barcelona domain will be represented at a joint stand with the .cat domain and the registration company Don Dominio. In addition, all those who drop in and see us will be offered a special promotion: a .barcelona domain with free hosting for a whole year. Through this promotion, we want to help local companies and start-ups to boost their business in the digital environment.

We’ll be delighted to share our new .barcelona domain image with everybody at the fair and address your doubts and queries relating to the domain. See you at the eShow Barcelona!

eShow Barcelona 2024
13 and 14 May
Fira de Barcelona

The registration period is now open for the Challenge Barcelona Triathlon, the leading competition set to be held on 3 November. The finest athletes will again be battling it out in a combination of athletics, cycling and swimming around the city’s streets and beaches.

One of the main new aspects to this year’s event is the opening up of 80 places for amateur athletes over the Short distance. Those wishing to sign up for the triathlon.barcelona over this distance must meet two fundamental requisites: to be federated in the triathlon and to accept and satisfy the cut-off time and the established regulations for this distance.

As with last year’s edition, the event again offers an option for youngsters: teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 will be able to compete over the Super Sprint distance, the goal being to promote the competition with maximum safety.

The categories can be found on the website triathlon.barcelona and are as follows:

• Short: 1,500 metres of swimming (2 laps), 56 km of cycling (5 laps) and 15 km of running (3 laps).
• Olympic: 1,500 metres of swimming (1 lap), 40 km of cycling (4 laps) and 10 km of running (2 laps).
• Sprint: 750 metres of swimming (1 lap), 20 km of cycling (2 laps) and 5 km of running (1 lap).
• Junior Challenge: 300 metres of swimming (1 lap), 9 km of cycling (1 lap) and 1.5 km of running (1 lap).
• Aquatló: 750 metres of swimming (1 lap), 5 km of running (1 lap).

On your marks, get set, go!