Barcelona Llibres

Barcelona Metròpolis analyses the climate crisis from an urban and local perspective: what impact is it already having on our city, and how much worse can the situation get? What measures have already been taken and what action is needed to minimise its effects? Eight experts from different fields respond to these questions: Anna Pérez Català, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Hug March, Sara Mas Ibáñez, Javier Ortigosa, Joaquim Daura, Francesc Ribera and Teresa Franquesa. The editorial Transforming and mitigating, written by the magazine’s editor, Milagros Pérez Oliva, warns that “changing the dynamics is no easy task. There are numerous points of inertia that must be overcome, and a wide diversity of interests that need to be channelled in the same direction”

Anna Pérez Català, an environmental scientist specialising in climate change, begins this special edition with an analysis of the role of cities in the fight against climate change. “Cities are essential, not only due to the level of emissions they generate, but also because they have more freedom of action in the face of geopolitical trends”, she says.

Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, director of the Climate, Air Pollution, Nature and Urban Health research programme at ISGlobal Barcelona, proposes the ‘avoid-change-improve’ equation as a long-term strategy to reduce pollution, mitigate the urban heat island effect, encourage people to give up their cars, and increase the number of green spaces.

In the article “Debates to address in Barcelona’s water transition’”, environmentalist Hug March warns that reclaimed and desalinated water cannot be the only strategy for dealing with drought. “We need to explore alternative resources, such as the reuse of grey water, and be aware of the role that water plays in maintaining urban green space, creating climate refuges.

For her part, architect Sara Mas Ibáñez underlines the need for city and regional planning, in order to prepare for the inevitable impacts. “The scale and impact of disasters will depend on how well we’ve understood the dangers, the consequences, and how to respond, she says.

From an urban mobility perspective, Javier Ortigosa, head of the Office of Mobility and Infrastructure for the AMB’s Metropolitan Urban Master Plan, says that the transformation of the model is progressing too slowly. “This seems paradoxical in a metropolis like ours that’s innovative and is a leader in many other sectors”, he says.

Another necessary transformation, this time of the energy model, is analysed by Joaquim Daura and Francesc Ribera, respectively president and manager of the Catalan Efficient Energy Cluster. “The first major barrier is an economic one: the huge scale of the resources required, a need that can only be met by collaboration between the public and private sectors”.

Biologist Teresa Franquesa brings the dossier to a close, looking at eco-anxiety, a term that describes emotional response to the climate crisis. “Fear, anger and sadness can also be catalysts for action, transforming concern into a commitment to change”, she says.

Interviews, features and much more

The interviews in this issue provide insights into science and robotics. Journalist Núria Jar talks to Lluís Torner, founder of the prestigious Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), of which he was director for more than twenty years, right up until a few months ago. “We’ve created an environment that allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things”, he says.

Susana Pérez Soler interviews techno-artist Mónica Rikić, who reveals what inspires her art: she wants to escape the apocalyptic vision of robotics and imagine other scenarios, such as artificial intelligence suffering from imposter syndrome, or a bot that doesn’t steal data in order to steal our money or our identity, but simply to snoop around.

In the Urban Visions section, Cristina Martín Valbuena explores the project to turn the Tres Xemeneies building in Sant Adrià de Besòs into a nerve centre of the audiovisual industry, ‘with the aim of attracting investment to an area that’s become something of a wasteland. Meanwhile, Esther Escolán analyses a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly evident in Barcelona: the decline in the number of children, which is having a significant impact, and not only on the education sector.

Sarah Whiting, an influential figure in the world of contemporary architecture, is the focus of the En Trànsit section. Taking advantage of his visit to Barcelona to take part in an event at the CCCB, Lluís Ortega provides an interesting insight: “Whiting prefers to talk about design rather than architecture, revealing an ambition to transform the world through form”.

In this issue Barcelona Data explores accessibility in the city, covering everything from support for personal mobility on the streets to the barriers that exist in public transport and housing, through the infographics of Oriol Pàmies and Carles Javierre.

In the culture section, Debat focuses on immersive exhibitions. Led by Lluís Nacenta, eight experts analyse this growing phenomenon, which is often presented as “moving from the visual representation of something to experiencing it directly”.

This section also includes a report by David Moreu on urban art “as a reflection of a Barcelona in (eternal) transition”. In the books section, Jordi Amat reviews El jove Gabriel Ferrater, la llegenda, written by Ramon Gomis, and Vicent Borràs talks about After Work. A History of the Home and the Fight for Free Time, by Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek, saying that: “Paradoxically, productivity has increased by 400% in a century, but free time by just 3%”. The exhibition pages are devoted to Joan Brossa. La sensació mental d’una felicitat completa, which can be seen at the Joan Brossa Foundation – Centre for the Free Arts until 20 July 2025.

The magazine closes with the story The breeze, penned by Elisenda Solsona. The illustrations for this story, the cover and the special section are by Eugènia Anglès, and the photography insert is dedicated to Txema Salvans with a dystopian work on human resilience.