A society’s success is not measured in short-term increases in the GNP, but in the solidity of the foundations on which quality of life is based, the proactiveness in correcting social inequality, the promotion of a creative and diversified economy, the existence of infrastructures of knowledge and services for production in accordance with the current challenges.

Half of the 7,300 million inhabitants of the Earth live in urban environments and it is predicted that by 2050 it will be two thirds. Sixty percent of the gross national product throughout the world is generated in 600 urban centres. The world is more and more urbanised and the cities are the hubs from where we must tackle the challenges of the future. Nevertheless, the balance between these urban centres and the land around them is key in guaranteeing the sustainability of the whole and the territorial cohesion.

To take on these new challenges, and within the framework of the parameters defined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development approved by the United Nations, the Generalitat de Catalunya (autonomous government of Catalonia), through Incasòl, Barcelona City Council and the AMB (Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona), with the project Barcelona Catalonia, has made a commitment to a shared strategy to promote the development of new projects, especially in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. These projects depict and urban planning model that aims to be fair, efficient and sustainable, to prevent the growth of the metropolis generating a disorganised urban sprawl that is predatory with the land and resources and that generates inequality.

With the most significant logistics provision of the Mediterranean, Catalonia has become the point of entry/exit for goods for southern and central Europe, backed by Barcelona, a city of great international potential committed to an inclusive growth model that generates wealth and a diversified economy. With these ingredients, the city has become one of the main attractions for foreign investment and international talent, generating high quality employment.

The areas and projects included in Barcelona Catalonia are strategically located and have a network of infrastructure where all the means of transport that favour the creation of a business fabric come together with essential services for import and export companies, as well as international operators.

Barcelona’s central location, strong and consolidated, is growing with its metropolitan area and is also expanding to other urban areas in the territory that reinforce and complement the central nature of the capital and balance the territory. There are three levels that make up an efficient and sustainable whole, thanks to the network of connections and the existing infrastructure. With the Mediterranean corridor Barcelona Catalonia is linked to the world and radiates a model generated by a creative society, proud of both its singularity and its plurality, from its architecture to its cuisine, from its language to its multi-cultural identity, from the recognition of the past to its plans for the future.