We are hosting a new cycle of conversations on integrated urban regeneration, promoted by Observatorio 2030 del CSCAE as a lead-up to the Foro de las Ciudades de Madrid.
The series brings together architects, urbanists, sociologists, and public-sector practitioners to share experiences and discuss best practices that demonstrate the social, spatial, and environmental benefits of integrated regeneration, as explored in the report Ciudad y Territorio en Regeneración.
Through a series of online conversations and a final in-person gathering, the cycle aims to strengthen a shared culture of regeneration and promote practical methodologies that help local administrations and technical teams address urban transformation with an integrated perspective.
The discussions focus on real case studies that show how regeneration succeeds when architectural quality, institutional coordination, and the needs and aspirations of local communities are considered as part of the same process.
Related links
linkhttps://www.cscae.com/index.php/cscae/areas-de-trabajo/observatorio-2030/9369-el-observatorio-2030-del-cscae-promueve-un-ciclo-de-conversatorios-sobre-regeneracion-urbana-integral-como-antesala-del-foro-de-las-ciudades-de-madrid
Images
Together with Fundación Cotec para la Innovación, we presented the Local Innovation Index in Málaga, hosted at the historic production center of Mahou San Miguel.
The Local Innovation Index is a new tool that evaluates the innovation ecosystems of Spain’s 59 functional regions. Rather than measuring only the resources available in each territory, it examines their capacity to transform those resources into tangible outcomes. Combining five key dimensions — investment, education, research, employment, and business activity — the index offers a local-scale picture of how innovation is produced and sustained across the country.
The presentation also opened a broader conversation on the relationship between innovation and territory, bringing together perspectives from business and public administration. It was a reminder that local innovation is not built in isolation, but through collaboration across institutions, companies, and civic ecosystems.
Related links
linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba91wtgvXtc&time_continue=1&source_ve_path=NzY3NTg&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fcotec.es%2F
Images
Topics
We took part in ARCADE’s fourth session in Barcelona, Souvenir City, part of the first cycle Inhabiting the Boiling Point, alongside Jorge Dioni López and Mesura.
The conversation explored the forces reshaping contemporary cities through tourism, and the role data plays in making these transformations legible. We reflected on how alternative data sources once made it possible to map and diagnose Barcelona’s rapid touristification when official information was absent or too slow to respond. Those tools helped describe a phenomenon that was transforming urban life faster than institutions could measure it.
While public data has become more precise, many of those alternative traces have disappeared as tourism itself continues to evolve. This raises urgent questions: what role do we play in producing these cities? Can we imagine forms of tourism that do not dissolve the local? And how do we sustain permanence, belonging, and everyday life in places increasingly designed for the visitor?
Images
We hosted the Fremtidens Bymidter 2026 conference, where we shared the experiences of the Cities@Heart network of cities, which we have supported in recent years in advancing more balanced, inclusive and resilient city centres. Building on the shared belief that together we can achieve more than any of us can alone, the conference brought together businesses, municipalities and civil society around a common perspective on the future development of urban centres when the event took place on Tuesday 21 April in Fredericia.
As the Danish contact point for the European Urban Initiative, the conference was organised by the Dansk Byplanlaboratorium, Dansk Erhverv, Levende Bymidter, Danske Handelsbyer, MERK and Norlys, placing partnership as the central driver of more liveable and well-functioning city centres.
Images
MADE ETSAV hosted the Symposium “Delta Systems”, an open-access event exploring intersections of systems thinking, design and architecture. Organized by Teresa Galí-Izard, Josep Lascurain, Montserrat Bonvehi and Lluís Ortega. During the symposium, the new master’s programme at ETSAV was presented in sessions that discussed its objectives, curriculum structure, and innovative approaches to integrating digital, ecological and systemic perspectives in architectural education.
Images
On 4 and 6 November 2025, Fira de Barcelona hosted the Smart City Expo World Congress. Pablo Martínez and Mar Santamaría participated in round table discussions, sharing insights on urban innovation and smart city strategies. Their contributions highlighted the potential of data and technology to shape sustainable, efficient, and inclusive urban environments.
Related links
linkhttps://www.smartcityexpo.com/speakers/mar-santamaria/
Images
On 26 November 2025, the CITIC Cátedra INDITEX UDC at the University of A Coruña hosted the Symposium on Green Artificial Intelligence under the theme Vida entre algoritmos. Mar Santamaría and Pablo Martínez participated in the symposium, exploring how artificial intelligence can be applied responsibly to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainable computational practices.
On 5 November 2025, the Maison de la Chimie in Paris hosted the City Centre Forum session “Data-driven policy to revitalise European city centres.” Mar Santamaría and Pablo Martínez participated with a presentation examining how data can guide strategies to revitalise urban centres across Europe. The session highlighted the role of evidence-based approaches in contemporary urban policy and planning.
The “Madrid 2050 International Urban Forum 2025”, organized by Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid (COAM), will take place on 9-11 December 2025 as part of the Madrid2050 initiative. The forum aims to turn Madrid into an “urban laboratory” to address the challenges posed by strong demographic growth, with projected addition of over one million inhabitants in the coming decades.
Together with experts from OECD, Foretica and Madrid City Council, Mar Santamaria will participate in this roundtable, bringing her perspective from the standpoint of territorial analysis and sustainable planning.
Related links
linkhttps://www.linkedin.com/posts/colegio-oficial-de-arquitectos-de-madrid_cerramos-el-%C3%BAltimo-d%C3%ADa-de-madrid-foro-urbano-activity-7405147547817701376-EcTD?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAPKBvgBiAN2tjUqxxA2Z30wEeTkQudNBiE
Images
On 12 March 2024, the Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya held the session “Artificios Inteligentes. Metodologías, Imaginaciones y Narrativas: IA y Arquitectura” in Barcelona, part of the cycle “La inteligencia artificial en la arquitectura: Nuevas herramientas para nuevas miradas de futuro”. Mar Santamaría and Pablo Martínez participated with a presentation entitled “Life Between Algorithms”, in which they explored how generative artificial intelligence, creative imitation, and precedent interrelate to shape new architectural imaginaries. They were joined by other speakers such as Mario Carpo, Lluís Nacenta, Ciro Najle, Julia Capomaggi, Nil Brullet, among others, and the session included debate on fundamental disciplinary issues: creativity, culture, project-methodologies, pedagogy, and architectural production.
Related links
linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgev_5gqAIY
Images