Mayor praised the “innovative DNA” of Barcelona during his visit to New York – Terra Peru

The mayor of Barcelona, ​​Ada Colau, today praised the “innovative DNA” and “creative potential” of their city during his visit to the design fair NYCXDesign New York, first stop on his official visit to the United States.

“Design is one of the traits that Barcelona is different,” he said the mayor told reporters, stressing that this “is part of DNA” of the city , so you should “support from institutions” and encourage their internationalization.

Colau, who arrived yesterday in New York by the first deputy mayor of Barcelona, ​​Gerardo Pisarello, met today with representatives of 15 companies participating in the fair through the stand that the consistory organized by the Barcelona Design Week and the agency ACCIÓ the Generalitat de Catalunya.

At the fair, these Catalan entrepreneurs have different design products related to the housing sector.

“We are delighted to help the design sector to reach its various strategic points,” said the mayor, who also defended the Barcelona brand as an element that can “help” the industry so that this “grow and export”.

Colau recalled that there are about 3,800 companies dedicated to the sector, “many of them in Barcelona,” so this area “own city”, formed largely in Catalonia small and medium enterprises will be strengthened from the administration.

After his visit to NYCXDesign, the mayor attended a preparatory meeting for the conference Habitat III of the UN, to be held in Quito (Ecuador) from 17 to 20 October with objective of defining the urban agenda of big cities in the coming decades.

“The world is increasingly urban. The population is concentrated in large cities, emphasizing contemporary problems such as rising inequality and problems of sustainable development,” colau, who will participate in this conference on behalf of major European cities.

He also stressed that to develop this urban planning is “imperative” that states listen to the “voices of citizens” of the cities so that these become territories “fairer, friendly and less unequal “.

“States can not develop this urban agenda without the cities,” he insisted.

On his first visit to New York, the mayor of Barcelona was interested to see how the Big Apple “reconciles” the fact of being a city of international reference to being “kind to neighbors “and not” expel its traditional population. ”

In this sense, Colau held the similarities between Barcelona and New York, who share “the challenges of large cities”, which must find the balance between being global cities with also be “liveable for their neighbors.”

On Tuesday the mayor will meet with the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, who intends to address mobility issues, sustainable housing and the need to reduce inequalities.

On the other hand, Colau did not rule out adding to his busy schedule three days a meeting with a group of activists demanding improvements in housing affordability, one of the big problems NY.

“By little I can, I would much rather listen to people who are daily in the city and live day to day,” said the mayor, who has a long career as spokesman Platform Affected by Mortgage (PAH) in Barcelona, ​​although he did not specify whether these meetings end up producing.