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Barcelona launches a citizen commitment to improve coexistence
Barcelona wants to strengthen coexistence in its streets, squares, and neighbourhoods with a new tool for citizen participation. The Ayuntamiento has presented the Compromís ciutadà pel civisme, an open agreement that invites residents, organisations, and groups to get involved in caring for public spaces.
The initiative starts from a simple idea: coexistence cannot depend solely on bylaws, fines or occasional campaigns. In a dense, tourist city with very different uses of public space, daily respect also requires shared responsibility among those who live, work, visit and enjoy Barcelona.
The presentation event was held in the Saló de Cent, with the participation of Mayor Jaume Collboni, municipal representatives and numerous organisations. The local government wants to place civic responsibility at the heart of urban policy, not only as a response to specific conflicts.
The Compromís was created as an open and flexible pact. Neighbourhood, cultural, commercial and social associations, as well as other actors in the city, will be able to join, with the aim that each neighbourhood can contribute proposals and adapt actions to its own needs.
The agreement is organised around five guiding principles and four priority areas. One of the main points will be citizens' active involvement in improving coexistence, from the responsible use of streets and squares to caring for shared spaces.
Prevention and education will play an important role. The Ayuntamiento plans to promote awareness programmes for different age groups, as well as specific actions aimed at visitors in high-footfall areas, where the clash between leisure, tourism and residents' rest is usually more visible.
Good practice regarding waste, cleanliness and the use of public space will also be addressed. The intention is to reduce behaviour that causes day-to-day nuisance, such as noise, dirt, misuse of street furniture or inconsiderate occupation of common areas.
The pact will include a Taula del Compromís, a space for dialogue and follow-up with the participating organisations. From there, it will be possible to assess progress, identify problems and propose new measures so that the agreement does not remain a statement of intent.
Specific working groups will also be created to design concrete actions in each area. That part will be key to bringing the commitment down to the ground: neighbourhood campaigns, projects with businesses, educational activities, mediation or community initiatives.
Barcelona arrives at this debate with familiar tensions. Tourist pressure, nightlife, lack of cleanliness in some places, noise and coexistence between different uses of public space are among the regular concerns of many residents.
The Compromís ciutadà pel civisme seeks to respond to that situation through participation, not only through punishment. Its success will depend on whether it can bring real organisations together, listen to specific problems and translate the values of coexistence into visible changes on the street.
The city does not only need rules to share its spaces better. It also needs everyday agreements, small gestures and a shared idea of respect. That will be the challenge of the new pact: for civic responsibility to cease being a campaign word and become a recognisable practice in neighbourhoods, squares and communities.