Barcelona, World Capital of Time Policies

Becoming the first Time Policy Capital of the World is a great opportunity to raise awareness among citizens and other cities about the importance of time management for a healthier, more equal, efficient and sustainable life.

The Network of Local and Regional Governments for Time Policies have named Barcelona as the first World Capital of Time Policies for 2022-2023, due to the city's long trajectory that includes historical milestones and outstanding actions. In 2003, Barcelona already created the first time use council in Spain. In 2006, the recognized NUST Business Network - New Social Uses of Time was consolidated with the aim of sharing and making visible good practices among companies. In 2014 the first Time Pact was approved, a city agreement to promote a healthier, more egalitarian, efficient and sustainable use of time around 7 strategic main points: care, health, education, work, participation, citizen services and sustainable citizenship. All these advances have been achieved today, with an active participation in municipal, metropolitan and international networks working with other city councils to promote time policies in cities.

THE NETWORK OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS FOR TIME POLICIES.

The Network of Local and Regional Governments for Time Policies was created in Barcelona in 2008, initially as the Network of European Cities for Time Policies. It is now known as the Network of Local and Regional Governments for Time Policies and is made up of cities such as Barcelona, Bogota, Bolzano, Milan, Strasbourg and the collaboration of hundreds of organizations.

The Network's objective is to share knowledge among its members through the exchange of experiences, lessons learned and best practices in time policies in order to promote them internationally. For this reason, the network is open to cities and metropolitan regions around the world.

The "World Capital of Time Policy" concept was created with the intention of raising awareness and visibility of time policies, as well as connecting with citizens. Following this momentum, in February 2022 the Network chose Barcelona as the first World Capital of Time Policy.

OBJECTIVES OF THE CAPITAL CITY

In order to continue promoting time policies, the World Capital has pursued the following objectives:

Generate citizen awareness through awareness and communication campaigns.
Promote the visibility and sustainability of the Network of Local and Regional Governments for Time Policies, being an ambassador of the Network in different forums around the world.
Organize and actively participate in international events such as Time Use Week in October 2022.
Promote and consolidate innovative time policies in the Barcelona City Council and promote the Action Plan of the Barcelona Declaration on Time Policies (2022-2023).

WHAT HAVE WE DONE AS THE TIME POLICY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD?

As World Capital of Time Policies, on the 25th of October 2022, Barcelona hosted the assembly of the Network of Local and Regional Governments for Time Policies, where knowledge and experiences were shared between municipalities and regional governments from all over the world. It also hosted Time Use Week, where it took an active part in showcasing the city's actions in the field of time policies.

Throughout the year, it has also organised and participated in various events for the exchange of best practices, both with Spanish and Latin American municipalities.
Throughout 2022 and until March 2023, the City Council has organised a communication campaign to raise awareness of the importance of time in improving health, equality, efficiency and sustainability, with the slogan "The value of your time".

In addition, the following workshops, talks and activities were held:
- Workshop: Impact of the uses of time on rest and sleep: How can we sleep better?
This workshop, given in collaboration with the District Health Councils, deals with rest and sleep as one of the main aspects affected by current life rhythms. During the workshop, strategies to deal with this problem and how to promote healthy habits related to rest are explained.
- Collaborative activity: Time and childhood. What do Barcelona children think about our use of time?
In this activity, a dynamic is proposed with girls and boys of different ages to think about on time through artistic creation. In it, the children thought about and answered the following questions: 1) What is time? and 2) What do you like to do in your free time? The activity was carried out in municipal facilities aimed at children, such as play centres, open centres and libraries, and the results will be published in 2023.
- Talk: Balance between the uses of time and the practice of sport for a better quality of life
Within the framework of the training days for sports teachers, organised at the Barcelona Sports Institute, where a talk was given by an expert on the relationship between sport and the use of time, to improve the health and well-being of people who practise sport.
Barcelona City Council has a long history of promoting public policy on time, and the entities that make up the city are key to this progress, also promoting actions that improve their organisations and the services they provide. Within the framework of the capital, new impetus has been given to existing actions and key actions have been identified. You can consult all the actions carried out by the City Council in the following link, and the actions carried out by the entities that are part of the Pact of Time in this link.

In addition, a report has been published which analyses and compiles the actions carried out by the City Council in the field of time policies from its beginnings until the year of the capital.

EVENTS AND CONFERENCES ORGANIZED IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CAPITAL CITY

Barcelona has prepared a program of events throughout the period of the Capital 2022-2033 designed to promote changes in social organization to improve the needs of the temporary management of everyday life and find solutions to gain quality of life. Specifically, the following events have been organised:

5th April 2022: Official presentation ceremony of Barcelona as World Capital of Time Policies.

1st June 2022: Time policies in the local world: experiences, challenges and opportunities: First day of exchange of time policies with other cities in Spain: Beasain, Bilbao, Vila-real, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, the Catalan Association of Municipalities and the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia.
I Ibero-American Timetables and Time Week Online from September 19 to 23, 2022
Time Use Week: Barcelona, 24 to 29 October 2022
General Assembly of the Network of Local and Regional Governments for Time Policies: Barcelona, 25 October 2022, in the framework of Time Use Week.
Activities aimed at the general public.

The various events can be consulted in more detail in the Yearbook 2022, which has been prepared by the Directorate of Gender Services and Time Policies of Barcelona City Council and the Time Agreement. You can access it by clicking on the following link: Yearbook 2022.

TRANSFER OF THE CAPITAL TO BOLZANO, WORLD CAPITAL OF TIME POLICIES 2023-2024
Barcelona has been the World Capital of Time Policies during 2022. A year in which meetings, training, talks and activities have been held on time policies, both with organisations and citizens of Barcelona, as well as with municipalities from all over the world.

To close this year, Barcelona City Council will held the ceremony to mark the end and transfer of the Capital of Time to the new municipality at the Consistorial Hall, with the presence of the Deputy Mayor, Laia Bonet, the Councilor for Commerce , Commerce, Markets, Consumption, Interior and Finance, Montserrat Ballarín, the municipal manager, Sara Berbel, and the councilor of the city of Bolzano, Angelo Genaccaro.

The event ends with the symbolic transfer of the Capital City status to the next municipality to host it, Bolzano, located in Italy, one of the pioneering Italian cities in the development of time policies.

Check the video summary of the event on the YouTube channel