Educating cities | Barcelona Metròpolis

Last November Barcelona hosted the 13th International Congress of Educating Cities, assembling representatives from over 470 cities worldwide. This international event presented 150 educational experiences from 36 different countries focusing on the theme “An Educating City is an Inclusive City”.

In fact, the first congress was held in the city of Barcelona in 1990 under the heading “Educating cities for children and youth”. Throughout the 24 years since then Barcelona has remained an active member of the International Association of Educating Cities (IAEC). And almost a quarter of a century after its foundation, the congress has come back to the city where it was born. This closes a circle which invites us to take stock.

We invited congress director Antònia Hernández and four members of the scientific committee, Àngel Castiñeira, Anna Jolonch, Josep Maria Coll and Joan Manuel del Pozo to give us their opinion. They all discussed the general points of a congress which aims to link the concept of inclusion to those of participation and innovation.

We also compiled accounts showcasing the good practices and innovative projects in the field of social inclusion in the city and its metropolitan area, for senior citizens as well as those with disabilities or in prison.