The candidate for mayor of Barcelona for Junts has reiterated the need to generate economic activity, supported by quality tourism, and has been forceful in his criticism of Colau's urban planning

 Xavier Trias, candidate for mayor of Barcelona for Junts, took part in an event organized by the association 22@Network BCN to debate the proposals for the future of the district and its city project. The event was organized in a dialogue format where the candidate spoke with Miguel Trias Sagnier, partner of the Cuatrecasas law firm and Institutional Vice President of the 22@Network BCN association.

From the beginning, the Junts candidate has made clear the need to create economic activity as a driver of Barcelona's progress, where he has highlighted the role of tourism, "which must be of quality, of congresses, of family, with culture and, ultimately, responsible". In this sense, he made it clear what the responsibility of the city council should be: "to ensure that the staff has competitive salaries".

With regard to public space, Trias has alluded to safety and cleanliness, two priorities that he believes the future Government must put on the table. "We need to improve public perception, which is of insecurity, and we need Barcelona, which hosts tourism and international events, to be safe." He added that this must be translated into more cleaning, to prevent new areas of the city from becoming "scum", and "more police presence and collaboration between the Urban Guard and the Mossos d'Esquadra" .

Another proposal to avoid the degradation of public space has been rooted in criticism of the agreement to allocate 30% of new flats to social housing. Trias, who supported the agreement in its approval, stated that "it is a disaster", and that although it is well-intentioned, "the result is the stoppage of construction and the reduction of affordable housing". In contrast, the candidate considers that from the city council it is necessary to be "proactive in terms of construction" and "seek that public housing is built in collaboration with the private sector".

From the 22@Network BCN business association, the issue of housing has been much debated. The business sector has reiterated its demands to generate "green spaces, for culture, creativity, leisure and socialization", which contribute to making the district a place to work and live. Miguel Trias has been clear in his interventions, and has expressed the association's desire to "turn the 22@ district into an attractive space, not only for investments, but also for talent".

Xavier Trias agreed that "the 22@ has proven to be a key success story for economic development", but he declared that he had been "very critical" since the beginning of the development of the project. Enric Urreta, President of the association 22@Network BCN, pointed out that "22@, twenty years later, is no longer a project, but a reality and public policies are needed at the level of a key element for the competitiveness of Barcelona".

Trias has pointed out that the main problem in the district is the approach of the city council regarding housing, the lack of which he considers the "most obvious problem" of the 22@. To reverse this situation, Trias proposes a "housing pact that allows the construction of public rental flats in the next four decades in collaboration with the private sector".

However, Trias added that the city council's current big challenge towards 22@ is "extending its district model to the rest of the city". The president of the 22@Network BCN wanted to clarify that "22@'s impact and area of influence are and must be international", which is why it needs to become "a reference model where to work and live that projects the Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain brand in the world".

The candidate ended the event with a reflexion on the need for Barcelona to believe in its potential again, to "recover confidence and reverse disaffection".