Testimonials
Founding organisations
Josep María Álvarez
Secretary General of the UGT de Catalunya (1990-2016)
The plan has allowed us to participate actively in a context where we can raise our demands, discuss, capably assume positions in other bodies and organisations and, ultimately, contribute to this balanced development.
Jordi Alberich
General Director of the Cercle d'Economia (1998-2018) and Director of the Institute of Strategic Studies at Foment del Treball (since 2019)
The Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan has achieved two things. First, it has helped people from very different professional fields and with diverse political orientations to meet, talk and find common ground. Second, it has allowed the metropolitan area to produce a long-term vision of what needs did and still exist beyond the strict city limits of Barcelona.
Antonio Balmón
Mayor of Cornellà de Llobregat (since 2004) and Executive Vice President of the AMB (since 2011)
The Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan has helped to expand the city's creative local perspective, showing it how to incorporate a smart and dynamic set of initiatives and social realities that make up the metropolitan area.
Josep Lluís Bonet
President of the Governing Board of Fira de Barcelona (2004-2018)
From a global point of view, what the PEMB has accomplished is very important for the interests of Barcelona and its metropolitan area by helping to identify our major local challenges, especially with regard to mobility and financial, scientific and technical infrastructure. [...] A great trade fair institution like Fira de Barcelona is both an engine and incubator of knowledge and innovation and a creator of economic and social value.
Sixte Cambra
President of the Barcelona Port Authority (2011-2018)
The PEMB has been a key to defining and communicating the distribution needs of an industrial area that has a first-class port and airport and also requires high-quality complementary logistics facilities. Thanks to the planning and coordination between the different municipalities and interest groups of the PEMB, today Barcelona is a unique logistics hub in Europe.
Sonia Corrochano
AENA - Barcelona Airport (since 2012)
Planning is necessary to ensure that the right tools for development are activated and that indicators are in place to gauge if the goals set are being achieved. This is why having a roadmap is important.
Joan Coscubiela
Secretary General of the CCOO (1995-2008)
The Metropolitan Strategic Plan brought a metropolitan vision to the trade union movement that we already intuitively had, but that became evident and actionable under our friend Santacana.
Manel de Forn
Commissioner of Barcelona City Council for the Strategic Plan (1987-1995)
We had to create the conditions for Barcelona to take a step forward from being an industrial city to a city of knowledge. At the same time, we had to ensure social cohesion and equal opportunities by spreading cultural centres and universities throughout the area.
Martí Perellada
Professor at the University of Barcelona and member of the jury for the Francesc Santacana Grant
We undoubtedly need a strategic plan for the next 12 years. Today, probably more than at other times, we need to seek lines of agreement that help us to define shared goals related to all everyday problems of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area.
Maravillas Rojo
Deputy Mayor of Barcelona City Council (1995-2007)
The main contribution of the PEMB to the development of the city and the metropolitan area over these 30 years has been its ability to raise future scenarios and build consensus among the very different actors involved in achieving them.