spreading: in 2020, 169 secondary schools and higher education over. That figure is expected to rise to 420,000 people by 2038, centers participated in the Escoles+Sostenibles program which will amount to 25 percent of the city’s population by (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2020). then (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2020). Therefore, satisfying older adults’ increased and evolving demand for social services is 4.2.1 Toward a public policy for culture and education (PPCE) fundamentally important. It will help seniors to maintain a In Barcelona, the Public Policy for Culture and Education meaningful presence in city life and prevent digital exclusion (PPCE) aims to encourage the public to become actively involved of them. in the process of drawing up, carrying out, and evaluating public policies; it guarantees cultural rights by providing equal access Barcelona’s i.lab launched a new competition based on the to resources; and it fosters participation from a community and following question: How can we provide effective care for intercultural perspective. Under the PPCE plan, a policy was set senior citizens as part of the social superblocks? (Ajuntament up to foster crosscutting ties between culture and education Barcelona 2020). The winning project was presented at the in Barcelona via a collaborative structure that encompasses 2019 Smart City Expo in Barcelona and was allocated twenty different public and private actors that influence education. thousand euros so that it could be launched as a pilot project. This kind of initiative is creative, since it stimulates innovation The Fabra i Coats Art Factory is a project that provides work12 and the startup ecosystem while encouraging entrepreneurs to spaces and resources for cultural agents and artists. It aims focus on solving city residents’ real needs. to cater to every stage of creative and knowledge-production processes. It also endeavors to disseminate initiatives through Another initiative related to lifelong learning for Barcelona networks. The City Council has contributed subsidies worth four residents is the Labora program, which provides training and hundred thousand euros to the project (Ajuntament Barcelona, support to vulnerable people who have encountered difficulties 2018). This program focuses on three main aspects: developing in the labor market. People enrolled in the program receive action within the context of schools and education, launching personalized advice targeted to improve and update their skills programs in informal educational environments (at the level of for the job market. districts, associations, and communities), and promoting the educational dimension at a cultural center. The program’s report for 2017 shows that 6,505 people participated in it. Women accounted for 58 percent of Overall, the Fabra i Coats project has succeeded in creating participants (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2018). All in all, 1,893 an ecosystem of different actors in the city. Encouraging new people found work after receiving training through the program, technologies for artistic activities, it has already acquired over representing a 17 percent increase on the corresponding figure three thousand tablets with SIM cards, in addition to the 2,267 for 2016 (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2018). This initiative is part of smart devices provided by Catalonia’s Ministry of Education the Barcelona Employment Strategy 2016-2020, funded by the (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2018). These devices have been Municipal Social Services Institute (IMSS), The Catalan Social distributed with priority given to low-income families so as Action Entities (ECAS), the Catalan Federation of Insertion to reduce digital exclusion and reduce school discrimination Companies (FEICAT), and the Catalan Red Cross (Ajuntament depending on location. Barcelona, 2018). 4.3 Lifelong opportunities The Labora program receives three million euros in funding annually. To complement all the actions described above, it The Barcelona Activa Cibernàrium has been promoting the also conducts activities focused on helping people of any age to acquisition of digital skills and popularizing technology adaption successfully enter the workforce (Ajuntament Barcelona, 2018). among professionals, businesses, and the public for twenty years (Barcelona Activa, 2020). The organization provides Lastly, the municipal government approved the creation of 1,911 online courses that aim to help people who cannot access other public sector jobs to strengthen essential services such as training programs. The Cibernàrium project offers training in education and social care. A total of twenty-eight million euros digital skills (use of the Internet, computers, and smartphones) has been invested in the Economic Development Plan (EDP) for to everyone, whatever their skill level. the six districts of the city with the highest unemployment rates (EDP, 2015). That investment is intended to stimulate economic Barcelona is home to over 350,000 people aged sixty-five or activities that are capable of generating jobs and enhancing (12) https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/fabriquescreacio/en/fabriques/fabrica-a-fabrica/fabra-i-coats (accessed on 5 April 2021). 98 Quélin and Smadja | HEC PARIS | SMART CITIES | The sustainable program of six leading cities | 2021