Barcelona City Council will be presenting various innovative projects that focus on the promotion and transformation of the city, with people at the centre. One of these is  “Barcelona Fàcil”, the administrative simplification strategy to improve ties between companies and citizens, do away with red tape and guarantee legal security. Over 50,000 procedures of this type are conducted in Barcelona every year.

Barcelona’s model for adopting AI also stands out, the aim being to use it to improve the municipal technological ecosystem, public services and citizen empowerment. The new by-law on experimentation spaces will also be presented, designed to facilitate innovation projects that improve the management of the city in a real setting, plus the twinning initiative ‘Bessons Digitals Locals i CitiVERSE’, promoted by the European Union with the co-leadership of Barcelona.

Innovation to improve social services

As for social services, there’s also a chance to discover the Barcelona Social app, which brings social services closer to people and transforms the way they engage with them. Visitors to the congress can also try the Alzheimer Xatbot, an information tool aimed at carers and relatives and which answers questions on Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Urban transformation projects

One of the main urban transformation projects on display will be the new children’s play area model, designed through innovation and technology and adapted to children’s habits and the city’s climate conditions. The stand will feature a simulation of a children’s play area with sensors to gather data.

There will also be a presentation of the challenge launched by the Barcelona Energy Agency and BIT Habitat to create seasonal shades that generate renewable energy, plus the scale model of the two winning pilot projects, Osma and Ombra Viva, soon to be installed at the Campus Nord.

The public housing developments using industrialised methods at Veneçuela, 95, Ulldecona, 2.10 and Pallars, 489, will also be present at the SCEWC. These projects can be visited with virtual reality goggles and through their scale models. The congress also presents iconic elements in the city such as the Magic Fountain in Montjuïc, which has been revamped to make it more sustainable during the time it was out of service owing to the drought.

The congress will also feature the Barcelona Innova Lab Mobility (BILM), which acts as a living laboratory for sustainable and smart urban mobility. Information on the three challenges launched so far will be given, such as the one centring on improving the city’s bus network and another to mitigate noise pollution linked to mobility. During the event, the three winners will also be presented for the latest challenge on urban goods distribution in the restaurant and hospitality sector.

A space to share experiences and good practice

Barcelona City Council will also condition a specific space for presentations of municipal projects and informal networking meetings. Technical representatives from most municipal areas and institutes will be at the congress to handle requests and resolve queries from visitors relating to municipal projects.

The Barcelona City Council stand will also include a space for Barcelona Activa, offering information on technological projects for the smart transformation of cities.