#Spain #Barcelona #Housing World Summit #Anne Hidalgo #Anacláudia Rossbach

HOWS Barcelona: A Focus on Urban Housing

From November 3 to 5, 2026, Barcelona will host the inaugural Housing World Summit (HOWS Barcelona), an international congress aimed at addressing pressing issues in urban and affordable housing. This significant event is being organized by the Barcelona City Council and Fira de Barcelona, coinciding with the Smart City Expo World Congress. The summit will bring together a diverse array of stakeholders, including government officials, urban planners, housing developers, and representatives from educational institutions and non-profits.

Attending the summit will be several key figures renowned for their contributions to housing and urban development, including Anne Hidalgo, the first elected female mayor of Paris and a global ambassador for the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy; Anacláudia Rossbach, the Executive Director of an agency focusing on housing and urban policy; and Anna Minton, a leading voice on the financialization of land and housing. Together, these speakers will provide insights into the multifaceted nature of housing issues that millions face worldwide.

The Global Housing Crisis

The Housing World Summit arrives at a time when housing has become one of the critical challenges for cities across the globe. According to UN-Habitat, over 300 million people are homeless, and about 3 billion are living in inadequate housing conditions. Therefore, addressing these pressing concerns is not just urgent but imperative for sustainable urban development.

Anacláudia Rossbach will highlight her extensive twenty-year work in housing and urban policy, particularly on informal settlements and social housing strategies. Her perspectives are crucial for understanding the complexities surrounding housing options for marginalized communities.

Town Hall Conversations

Jaume Collboni, the mayor of Barcelona, will be leading a roundtable discussion on housing rights, where he will be joined by other prominent mayors such as Giuseppe Sala from Milan and Gergely Karácsony from Budapest. This panel will address global political actions being implemented to safeguard housing rights and the right to stay in one's home, a topic that resonates deeply in light of the housing crisis.

Five Core Themes of the Summit

The summit’s program is organized around five essential pillars that reflect the myriad facets of housing:
1. Urban Planning and Land Policy
2. Housing Regulation
3. Social and Affordable Housing
4. Building Innovation
5. Renovation, Redevelopment, and Reuse

Through three days of immersive sessions, participants will explore practical solutions to critical issues, including the availability of land for development, regulating a rental market strained by tourism and speculation, and innovative cooperative housing models that prioritize community over profit.

Conclusion

HOWS Barcelona is not only a platform for discussing current challenges but is also a space for generating collaborative solutions that could lead to more accessible housing in cities globally. By bringing together leading voices in urban development, the summit aims to create actionable pathways toward sustainable, affordable living.

In a world where almost every city is grappling with housing shortages and inequalities, events like HOWS Barcelona underscore the importance of dialogue, innovative policy-making, and community-focused initiatives in shaping the future of urban living.