Barcelona Drives Urban Experimentation and Innovation with New Ordinance
Barcelona, January 17 – The city of Barcelona is actively promoting urban experimentation and innovation through a newly established Ordinance on Experimentation Spaces. This regulation, designed to facilitate the testing of solutions, products, and business models by companies, startups, and technology centers in a real urban environment, was the focus of a recent technical meeting at the Urban Experimentation Center Ca l’Alier.
Defining the Framework for Urban Innovation
The event, co-organized by Barcelona Activa, 22@Network, and Bit Habitat, featured presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities for over 80 attendees from the urban innovation and 22@ district ecosystem. The primary goal of the gathering was to introduce the new ordinance and gather feedback on the resources needed by businesses and entities for urban experimentation.
This initiative is a key component of the Strategic Plan for Science and Innovation 2024-2027, specifically outlined in Axis 6. The plan emphasizes the creation of controlled testing zones (sandboxes) to experiment with innovative solutions and validate new technologies that promise a positive impact on the city.
A Pioneering Ordinance for Real-World Testing
The ordinance, initially approved by the Commission for Ecology, Urban Planning, Mobility, and Housing in November and officially published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona (BOPB) on December 11, 2025, is a pioneering effort. It defines the conditions for accessing experimentation spaces, the technological maturity requirements for projects, and the procedural phases for evaluation, execution, and monitoring. It also clarifies the roles of involved agents and the liability regime.
A crucial aspect of the regulation is the commitment to return generated knowledge to the public, through the publication of results and the creation of an accessible catalog of assets for innovation. This catalog will include public and private data, infrastructure, technology, knowledge, and services to support innovative projects.
The new text also delineates all stakeholders in this process: promoting entities, supervisory authorities, managing entities for experimentation spaces, asset-responsible entities, facilitating entities, valuation and monitoring commissions, and participating users. To streamline project approval, the document foresees the use of specific agreements as a complementary instrument to the general regulation, establishing a clear framework of rights, duties, and conditions for all parties. Provisions are also made for coordination with other administrations or entities when projects extend beyond municipal jurisdiction.
Focus on Public Return and Strategic Areas
The ordinance stipulates that all approved projects must demonstrate a clear benefit for citizens, particularly in areas such as health, mobility, and sustainability. Project selection will be based on criteria including public interest, technical feasibility, potential impact, and adherence to the ordinance’s principles.
The 22@Network: A Global Innovation Hub
This entire framework is integrated into the unique and pioneering innovation ecosystem that originated in Barcelona in the late 1990s. The 22@ Network, one of the world’s first urban innovation districts, now coordinates a global alliance, the Innovation District Alliance. This alliance began with 10 founding members, including Barcelona, PI Buenos Aires (Argentina), Melbourne Innovation District (Australia), Porto Digital (Brazil), TusCity (Nanjing) and CHJ Innovation Center (China), Berlin Adlershof (Germany), MIND – Milano Innovation District (Italy), Glasgow City Innovation District, and White City Innovation District (United Kingdom).
In Barcelona, the 22@Network also functions as a business association in the innovation sector, with 290 members comprising universities, large corporations, technology centers, and an extensive network of SMEs and startups. Its objective is to solidify 22@ as a dynamic, transformative, and technologically leading district, fostering interaction and deepening its relationship with the Poblenou neighborhood for mutual benefit.
Future Outlook
The city’s proactive approach through this ordinance is expected to significantly accelerate urban innovation, positioning Barcelona as a leader in smart city development and citizen-centric technological advancements. The collected input from the recent session will form the basis for constructing the comprehensive catalog of assets for experimentation in Barcelona, further solidifying the city’s commitment to a future driven by science and innovation.
