The PEMB, coordinator of the ECoD with the Barcelona City Council, celebrates the 1st edition of the Metropolitan Commitment Awards 2030

December 12, 2023

The awarded projects are committed to sustainability and multi-actor collaboration, consolidating the metropolitan region as a reference in urban transformation

Under the umbrella of the European Capital of Democracy, the Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan (PEMB), which is part of the technical office of the ECoD with the Barcelona City Council, has successfully delivered the 1st edition of the Metropolitan Commitment Awards 2030. This public recognition event has highlighted programs and projects aligned with the eight missions of the association's new strategic plan, approved by the General Council of the PEMB in the previous event, and aims to reduce inequalities in the context of the climate emergency and address urgent challenges such as housing, mobility, social equity, and competitiveness.

The event held on December 12 at the Can Roig i Torres Auditorium in Santa Coloma de Gramenet brought together mayors from the metropolitan region, representatives of entities, and key actors of the quintuple helix. Jaume Collboni, president of the PEMB, and Janet Sanz, president of the Executive Committee, emphasized the importance of establishing a joint guide with the participation of all interested actors. The new strategic plan is an essential roadmap to face future challenges, especially to facilitate the integration of the Barcelona metropolitan region, going beyond the AMB, in initiatives to address the most relevant challenges.

Thus, the Metropolitan Commitment Awards, granted for the first time in the history of the PEMB, are a recognition of excellence in different areas:

• 'Metropolitan Dimension', which recognizes projects that stand out in the metropolitan area, and this year has been awarded to Apropa Cultura, a platform that since 2006 works to ensure access to culture for vulnerable groups through projects such as Free from stigma, Never alone, or The home of all, which are developed throughout the metropolitan region in close collaboration with cultural agents and facilities.

• The 'Missions 2030' category recognizes initiatives that contribute to the central objective of the Metropolitan Commitment 2030, which is the reduction of social and territorial inequalities in the context of climate change. This year, the award has been granted to Lloguem! Yes, we rent! + Bloc cooperatiu, which seeks to use empty private properties to establish a cooperative system of affordable housing, contributing to reducing the residential overload of several families.

• Finally, the 'Strategic Alliances' category rewards projects that exemplify effective collaboration between actors of the quintuple helix. The winner, Vallès Circular, has been recognized for its work in creating a network of entities to promote the circular economy in Vallès Occidental, with the active participation of various areas and the interconnection of projects with different agents in the territory.

The day also included the announcement of the winning proposal of the 3rd edition of the Santacana Scholarship, aimed at individual research on urban strategies in the metropolitan region of Barcelona in the project 'Housing precariousness and health in Barcelona: a metropolitan analysis' presented by Josep M. Caroz Armayones, a student of the Doctoral Program in Political and Social Sciences at the Pompeu Fabra University.

With the celebration of these awards, the PEMB reaffirms its commitment to building a metropolis of 5 million people, with a polycentric structure that promotes coordination among all stakeholders.