Professor Carme Miralles-Guasch participated in the betevé program La sala, in the episode dedicated to the documentary La ciudad activa, a production that reflects on how 21st-century cities should be and what changes need to be promoted to adapt them to the current needs of the population.
The program offers a broad reflection on contemporary urban planning, focusing on issues such as the renaturalization of cities, everyday mobility, proximity, housing, metropolitan connectivity, and the role of public space in urban life. In her intervention, Carme Miralles-Guasch highlighted the need to plan cities based on the daily practices of the people who inhabit them, and not just from the logic of infrastructure, buildings, or large-scale urban operations.
One of the central elements of her contribution was the importance of understanding the city beyond its administrative boundaries. In the case of Barcelona, this implies thinking about it on a metropolitan scale, taking into account the multiple everyday realities that connect neighborhoods, municipalities, and diverse living spaces. Although people carry out their daily activities in different parts of the territory, neighborhoods continue to play a fundamental role as the main setting for local life.
The discussion also highlighted that proximity is one of the city’s greatest qualities, but it cannot be taken for granted or understood as a privilege reserved only for certain neighborhoods or social groups. Therefore, urban policies must ensure that access to urban resources, services, and opportunities is equitable. In this sense, connectivity and high-quality public transport become essential elements for making a fairer and more accessible city possible.
The debate also addressed urban renaturalization and its social effects. Miralles-Guasch remarked that incorporating more greenery and improving the environmental quality of cities is necessary, but these transformations must be accompanied by bold public housing policies to avoid processes of gentrification and the displacement of residents.
Finally, the conversation highlighted the role of the bicycle as one of the most efficient means for urban and metropolitan mobility. Its consolidation, however, depends on the ability of administrations to create the right conditions so that it can be used in a safe, comfortable, and everyday manner.
Overall, the program offers a reflection on how to plan cities based on the needs of the people who inhabit them, placing proximity, urban justice, sustainable mobility, and the metropolitan dimension of daily life at the center.
You can watch the full program and Carme’s interventions at the following link: ‘La ciudad activa’. La sala: how are cities planned?
