Illustration © Eva Vázquez. Two people are talking. One seems to tell the other about the house of his dreams: one bigger than the one he has.
Lessons from the crisisDisparity drives us further apart: psychological effects of economic inequality

Economic inequality is conducive to individualism. Living in unequal societies makes us more concerned about our social position; the greater the difference, the further the distance...

Illustration © Eva Vázquez. A number of people climb the stairs of a building but cannot keep going because a flight of stairs between two floors has collapsed.
Lessons from the crisisInequality in the age of disconnection

The economic crisis has widened the gaps (labour, generation, gender and fiscal) that contribute to exacerbating inequality. If societies continue to increase these divides and the...

Illustration © Eva Vázquez. Residential neighborhood typical in the United States. There are some well-built houses with a pool while other houses are half-sunken in their pool.
Lessons from the crisisDivides that separate, bridges to be built

Europe’s economic reconstruction in the second half of the 20th century focussed on providing liberal democracies with institutions that would protect citizens’ social rights...

Illustration © Eva Vázquez. A house split into four as if it were a cake and, in the middle, grows a tree full of vultures.
Lessons from the crisisFrom the mortgage scam to the rent scam

A decade after the worst real estate bubble in history burst, access to housing is still one of the major social problems. And it is because states operate as another cog in the...

Illustration © Eva Vázquez. A number of people contemplate a temple with Greek columns. The column on the right is shaped like a dollar symbol.
Lessons from the crisisThere is an alternative, it is progressive capitalism

Is capitalism compatible with democracy and prosperity? The rise in inequalities in the early 21st century has had worrying implications in liberal democracies, which are...

Illustration © Eva Vázquez. A person looks at a painting of a ledger. The painting shows descending lines that emerge from the ledger and pierce through the ground.
Lessons from the crisisOpen wounds

There are more poor people today, and they have even less than before the crisis. Organised citizenship has tackled this situation with social innovation and solidarity, but worsening...

Il·lustració © Ana Yael Zareceansky. Dues vies de tranvia paral·leles es creuen en una bifurcació en el centre de la imatge. En l'extrem esquerre es veu un tranvia.
Building the metropolisMobility, a complex structural framework

The creation of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area marked a positive yet insufficient change in the governance of metropolitan mobility. We are facing a complex situation in which...

Il·lustració © Ana Yael Zareceansky. Quatre columnes amb capitells d'estil jònic de diferents alçades amb escales entre la part superior d'uns i altres. Sobre les columnes i en les escales diverses persones es miren, saluden o caminen.
Building the metropolisIn search of a metropolitan ‘demos’

Far from everyday use, the current consumption of urban space is eliminating the political functions and collective identity functions traditionals in public space. The...

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