“Participation in local affairs is essential”, say foreign residents in Barcelona

Barcelona.- The necessity of foreign residents in Barcelona to become more actively involved in the social development of the city stands at the center of the BCitizeN project, a newly founded association of foreign residents in the Catalan capital. During the presentation of the group on Wednesday in Barcelona, all speakers agreed that they were received with open arms, thus pointing out that the key to integration was the local language, Catalan. “It opens the door to a different culture and reality” and motivates people “to participate” in local affairs, they explained. “We will work to motivate foreign residents to participate more actively in the city’s development, because they add a new perspective, which could be of interest,” said German economist El·la Mogler, the president of the association. Italian architect Alessandro Scarnato pointed out that it has been precisely the presence of foreigners that has greatly influenced the development of Barcelona today. Renowned English writer Matthew Tree praised the evolution of Barcelona towards diversity, a city “of all races and nationalities”, where integration “works”.

Barcelona’s evolution from forgotten child to supermodel

“There has been a change from a Barcelona who didn’t know who it was, to a Barcelona that everyone knows,” explained Alessandro Scarnato, professor of architecture at the Politechnical University of Catalonia (UPC), during the BCitizeN presentation. Scarnato conducted a study of the city’s development from 1979 until 2011. According to the architect, Barcelona has evolved from “being completely unknown” to becoming a “supermodel”. “One of the things that has changed most in the last few decades is precisely the presence of foreigners in Barcelona and it is their presence that gives the city a special character,” the architect added.

English writer Matthew Tree explained the big change that the city and its people have undergone during the last few decades in terms of foreign visitors and residents. “In the 1980’s, people used to point their finger at you and say “look, there's a tourist”. Back then “you would see mainly European features” and now Barcelona has become a city of all colors and origins. “Immigration has been very big over the last decade” but integration has worked “really well,” the English writer explained. However, both speakers agreed that since the Olympic Games, the city has entered into a “centrifugation without rest”. Furthermore, presenting Barcelona in its recent historical and cultural context would be enriching for foreign visitors “that pass by only for a weekend,” Tree added.