citizens in the innovation process.5From this perspective, is to reduce the amount of traffic within those blocks and Barcelona has succeeded in becoming a knowledge hub and create “people-first” areas where only emergency vehicles, a social lab.6These initiatives have transformed the city as bicycles, and pedestrians are allowed. These new areas a whole into a creativity center that is focused on innovation correspond to the “Model Superilles” (see Figure 3.1 below) and encouraging entrepreneurship. and are also known as “superblocks” (Rotondo, 2018).8With the improvement of streets, roads, green hubs, squares, Our analysis of Barcelona centers on the following main neighborhood facilities, green spaces, and buildings, and topics: a strong focus on sustainable modes of transport, the plan follows the “ecodistrict” principle that is also present in the Basic sanitation: Barcelona’s smart irrigation system, Sidewalk project in Toronto (see Chapter 6). It will help to implemented in parks and gardens within the city, has been make pedestrians and the most vulnerable vehicles (for efficient because it helps to anticipate plants’ needs and example, bicycles and motorcycles) safer and promote these correlate water supply with the weather. The municipalities of transportation modes. Barcelona’s metropolitan area estimate that this system has enabled them to lower their water bills by almost 25 percent Smart city exposition: Between November 19 and 21, 2019, through reduced water usage (Sree Venkitesh, 2016). Barcelona hosted an international smart city exposition. The event brought together experts, city mayors, and Recycling services: In 2012, the city of Barcelona approved multinational businesses in the same place. There were its Waste Prevention Plan (WPP) 2012-2020. The plan aimed 24,399 attendees from more than seven hundred cities and to reduce municipal waste by 10 percent and deliver a saving 146 countries, as well as 1,010 exhibitors (Fira Barcelona, of one hundred thousand tons by 2020 (WPP, 2012). In 2016, 2019), a 15 percent increase in attendance compared to the the Zero Waste Strategy (ZWS) was launched to improve the 2018 event. The exposition had an economic impact of over quality of recycled products. The strategy has a strong focus ninety million euros for the region (Fira Barcelona, 2019). on organic matter (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2020), and it aims to reduce the amount of waste being produced by enhancing Access to schools: Barcelona’s Adolescence and Youth product reusability and recycling systems. The ZWS is Plan (AYP), developed in 2017 and 2018, comprises over 328 aiming for 60 percent of waste collection to be carried out projects that provide benefits to over forty-five thousand on a selective basis, in line with the European Union Waste young people (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2020). The plan’s Management Plan (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2020). four main pillars are “the facilitation of emancipation, the contribution towards young people’s welfare, the promotion Medical services: In Barcelona, the My Health platform is and participation of their social transformation and work at a personal digital space for citizens in Catalonia to access the local level of the neighborhoods” (Ajuntament Barcelona, and interact with Catalonia’s health system (Generalitat de AYP, 2020). Catalunya, 2020). Business-led job creation: Barcelona City Council has Mobility: Barcelona’s Urban Mobility Plan (PMU) is organized set up a new economic agenda called BCN Green Deal, into four main pillars: Safe Mobility, Sustainable Mobility, Fair which “aims to create 103,000 quality jobs in the city” Mobility, and Zero Emission City. Those four pillars define the (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2020). Within the original plan, vision of Barcelona’s PMU and include every form of mobility ten priorities and thirty-eight measures are identified. within the city, namely pedestrians, bicycles, public transport, They aim to strengthen three key dimensions for the city: delivery vehicles, and private transport. Barcelona’s streets “competitiveness, sustainability, and equity” (Ajuntament are mostly laid out as blocks of buildings. The PMU’s objective Barcelona, 2020). Regarding competitiveness, the idea was (5) https://www.bcnuej.org/ ; https://www.urban-hub.com/cities/smart-city-3-0-ask-barcelona-about-the-next-generation-of-smart-cities/ (accessed on 14 July 2021). (6) https://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/transforming-barcelona-imagining-future (accessed on 14 July 2021). (7) Superilles” can be translated as “superblocks.” This program aims to reclaim for citizens part of the space occupied by private vehicles, in order to create a healthy and greener public space and promote social relations. https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/superilles/en/ (accessed in June 2020 and on 14 July 2021). 85 Quélin and Smadja | HEC PARIS | SMART CITIES | The sustainable program of six leading cities | 2021