Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona

On 16 July, the Metropolis City Managers Community organised an online seminar entitled "Green infrastructure: Connecting metropolitan spaces and paving the way for sustainable development", in which discussion revolved around the results of the survey "Green Infrastructure Metropolitan Portrait", which showed that most participating entities already have specific departments in place to promote green infrastructure, as well as policy strategies that support the implementation of related projects.

In the metropolis of Barcelona, green infrastructure is comprised of metropolitan green spaces such as natural parks, inland waterways, beaches, urban parks and farmland, which, altogether, constitute and offer considerable ecological wealth and a rich landscape, regulate the climate and water resources and help the city adapt to climate change.

Innovative projects

The session concluded with the presentation of six innovative projects related to the topic of green infrastructure, which included the AMB's project on the socio-environmental restoration of the metropolitan stretch of the Llobregat River. Some of the other projects presented during the session were Madrid's Metropolitan Forest initiative, a project aimed at connecting metropolitan green spaces and enhancing ecological connectivity, and the stormwater bioretention systems implemented in the city of Montreal, which help to mitigate the heat island effect and boost intra-urban biodiversity.

Present during the online session held on 16 July were experts in green infrastructure from 15 metropolitan areas (the AMB, Barcelona, Belo Horizonte, Bogotá, Cairo, Chengdu, Mexico City, Greater Manchester, Guadalajara, Madrid, Montreal, Ramallah, Rio de Janeiro, San Salvador and Tehran).

About City Managers

City Managers is a project financed by the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) that, each year, brings together experts in the management of urban and metropolitan spaces from around the world to identify common challenges, exchange knowledge and ideas and move ahead with joint agendas.

The next City Managers Community activity is due to take place in November as part of the fifth edition of City Managers Day and Smart Cities Live 2020, the first online edition of the Smart City Expo to be held in the city of Barcelona.