The agreement aims to promote joint solutions to confront transnational actors such as speculative funds and technology platforms offering short-term accommodations. The meeting is part of the first edition of the Housing World Summit (HOWS), an initiative by the Barcelona City Council within the Smart City Expo World Congress.
Collboni warned that the difficulty of accessing housing has become the main source of inequality and a threat to democracy. "Let's be clear: the housing crisis is today one of the main threats to democracy; when working families and young people are expelled from their neighborhoods because housing becomes a financial asset for speculation and not a right to live in, social cohesion breaks down and democratic disaffection is fueled," he stated.
The Mayor of Barcelona highlighted the progress made by the European alliance Mayors for Housing, which has influenced Brussels' priorities with the creation of the first European Commissioner for Housing and the European Affordable Housing Law. Now, cities will demand direct funds in the new European Union Budget.
Faced with global actors pressuring the residential market, Collboni emphasized that "the response of local governments must also be global." He recalled the meeting held last September in New York with mayors from around the world, where the desire to extend municipal alliances internationally was evident.
The declaration signed with Atlanta includes the exchange of experiences and best practices in affordable housing policies, the exploration of innovative solutions, and new public-private collaboration models. It also seeks greater coordination to address the impact of global actors hindering access to decent and affordable housing.
Collboni also commented on the results of the midterm elections in the United States, stating that "in the face of hatred, division, and the rising cost of living, rights and concrete responses to address social inequalities have won."
Finally, he recalled the historical link between the two cities since the 1992 Olympic Games, when the then-Mayor of Atlanta, Maynard Jackson, visited Barcelona to receive the Olympic flag handover from Mayor Pasqual Maragall for the 1996 Games.
