Location
Barcelona, Spain

Innovation Through Co-Creation: Beyond City Limits

In a strategic collaboration between PEMB (Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan) and BABLE Smart Cities, the Metropolitan Dialogue of Barcelona was launched to drive forward participatory governance and metropolitan innovation. Hosted at the Canòdrom – Center for Digital and Democratic Innovation, the event convened city representatives, academics, business leaders, and civic networks from Europe and Latin America. The dialogue focused on engagement around the Metropolitan Commitment 2030, exploring how to empower and collaborate with four key stakeholder groups: citizens, cities, academia, and businesses.

BABLE led the coordination, facilitation, and content production for the event, helping to build a space for inclusive, forward-thinking dialogue on sustainable urban development.

Deliverables by BABLE

  • Pre-event organisation
    Coordination with speakers and participants, thematic planning (sustainability, inclusivity, innovation), and full logistics setup for a smooth event experience.
  • Event execution
    Delivered keynote sessions featuring urban leaders such as Oriol Estela Barnet (PEMB), Oriol Illa García (AMB), Rosa Arlene María (CIDEU), and Erol Özgüner (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality).
    Designed and facilitated “The Idea Marketplace” breakout sessions, enabling deep collaboration and knowledge-sharing across stakeholder groups.
    Moderated the full-day programme and documented key outcomes and insights.
  • Post-event engagement
    Produced and shared a post-event report, Barcelona Leads the Way in Innovation and Democracy , including key findings, session highlights, and next steps.
    Supported follow-up collaboration and ensured the dialogue’s impact was extended via digital outreach and ongoing networking.

“Working with BABLE Smart Cities on last year’s Metropolitan Dialogue in Barcelona was an inspiring experience. BABLE brought together an incredible network of urban innovators and decision-makers, fostering a space where real discussions on metropolitan governance, innovation, and participatory democracy took centre stage. Importantly, we also had a lot of fun during the process.”
— Oriol Estela Barnet, General Coordinator, PEMB (Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan)

Impact at a Glance

  • Strengthened cross-sector collaboration and broke down silos between cities, academia, citizens, and businesses
  • Showcased best practices and innovative urban solutions in mobility, digitalisation, inclusion, and sustainability
  • Created a platform for diverse voices and inclusive dialogue on metropolitan challenges
  • Set a forward-looking agenda for metropolitan action, prioritising climate resilience, participation, and equity
  • Enhanced the visibility of PEMB and metropolitan governance issues across local and international platforms

Duration: 06 November 2023
Focus Area: Metropolitan Innovation, Governance, and Stakeholder Engagement