After the DANA tragedy, the University of Valencia organized, on January 30 and 31, 2025, the 1st Conference of Experts on Climate Change and Territory in the Iberian Mediterranean. This debate produced 93 recommendations that will be presented to public and legislative institutions in Spain.
The Catalunya Europa Foundation is organizing the Metropolis in Transformation: Planning in Times of Risk event together with the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) and with the support of the Barcelona Provincial Council. The goal is to disseminate and discuss the application of these recommendations at the local and supra-municipal levels, as well as to exchange management experiences and best practices from other Mediterranean regions, focusing on three strategic areas: coastal management, metropolitan mobility, and territorial planning.
- Date: Thursday, July 3
- Time: Event from 9:00 to 16:00 and field visit from 16:00 to 17:15
- Location: AMB Plenary Hall (Zona Franca, Barcelona)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program:
09:15 – 09:30 Arrival and registration
09:30 – 09:45 Institutional welcome by:
Ramon Torra, Manager of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona
Dolors Camats, Director of the Catalunya Europa Foundation
09:45 – 10:20 Initial context: Presentation of the proposals from the 1st Conference of Experts on Climate Change and Territory in the Iberian Mediterranean, by Oriol Nel·lo, geographer, spokesperson of the Conference, and board member of the Catalunya Europa Foundation.
10:20 – 11:50
Panel 1: A resilient coast – strategies for climate change adaptation
The metropolitan coast faces growing risks such as coastal regression, sea-level rise, and loss of fragile ecosystems. How can these impacts be managed at the local level?
Introduction: Eduard Ariza, Director of the INTERFASE Research Group, coastal studies with a socio-ecological perspective
Discussion with:
Daniel Palacios, Head of Beach Services, AMB
Andreu Absil, Mayor of Montgat
Presentation: “Policy recommendations for coastal cities to adapt to sea level rise” by Théophile Bongarts, Head of Coastal Adaptation, Ocean & Climate Platform
12:15 – 12:35 Presentation: Climate in Transformation: New climate projections in the AMB and combined risks, by Frederic Ximeno, Director of the Climate Action and Metropolitan Strategic Agenda Area, AMB
12:35 – 13:55 Panel 2: Transforming metropolitan mobility – planning for risk and advancing sustainability
Climate change forces us to rethink how we move and how we plan mobility and transport infrastructure. Exposed infrastructure also needs to be adapted to extreme events. Can governance help us rethink it?
Introduction: Carme Miralles, Professor of Urban Geography, UAB
Dialogue with:
Maite Pérez, Head of Sustainable Mobility Planning Service, AMB
Presentation by Rania El Moussaoui, State Engineer in Geographic Information Sciences, part of the Local Development Company (SDL) Grand Agadir for Mobility and Urban Transport (GAMDU), City of Agadir, Morocco. She will present SDL’s experience through various projects.
14:45 – 16:00 Panel 3: Planning and strategy for a resilient metropolis
The increase in extreme events such as droughts, floods, and wildfires requires territorial planning that integrates climate risk knowledge.
Introduction: Jacob Cirera, Environmental Specialist, Metropolitan Urban Master Plan of Barcelona
Discussion with:
Joan Palau, Deputy Director of Geological and Geophysical Engineering, Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia
Elena Domene, Head of Sustainability, Institut Metròpoli, and coordinator of the IVAC project
Ana Romero, Director of the Climate Action Service, AMB
Presentation: Koray Velibeyoglu, Head of Urban and Regional Planning Department, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey
16:00 – 17:15 Transport and visit to the dune restoration and protection project at Gavà Beach and the Riera dels Canyars.
