Barcelona Metropolis - Why Everybody Wants to stay in Barcelona!

Barcelona is probably one of the top destinations available anywhere presently. Tourism is as good as ever, business is booming, and also the desire to reside in the Catalan Capital from expats and foreigners is ever growing. However, Foreign Policy, in tandem with the Washington Post, recently released its top 60 Global Cities index, and you will be surprised to see that Barcelona wasn't in there.

The checklist takes into account 5 key dimensions; Business Activity, Human Capital, Information Exchange, Cultural Experience and Political Engagement. Of the 60 cities listed not every one is a Capital city, and when you compare the global reach that Barcelona has, I think you'll agree that it merits a place on the list.

Barcelona is really a business city, there is no doubt regarding it. Besides having an enviable geographical position in Europe (extremely central), there are 100s of flights arriving to Barcelona El Prat airport daily (not to mention the revolutionary speed link of the AVE train from Madrid), and the city centre is a mere 20 minute taxi ride away. The Catalan Capital also boasts 2 of the very most preferred Conference centres in Europe. The "Fira de Barcelona" welcomes over 3.5 million people every year, playing host to over 150 shows and fairs. 2010 saw the "Fira" be proud host for the 5th year running for the 3GSM cell phone conference, perhaps one of the most important conferences in the current technology climate. Across town in the Forum of Cultures location will be the International Conference Centre of Barcelona (CCIB) - the greatest conference centre in Southern Europe. Barcelona's populace is around 1.7 million and in addition has one of Europe's most significant ports.

Regarding cultural Experience, Barcelona Boasts 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, numerous Michelin Starred Restaurants, A lot of the finest architecture and art galleries in Europe and also the famed Mediterranean Cuisine. Despite the Government Headquarters being in Madrid (which did make the list at number 14), the Catalan government plays a major role in decision-making and really should not be ignored. Information exchange relates to "how well news and information is dispersed about and also to the remainder of the world. The number of international news bureaus, the amount of international news in the leading local papers, and the volume of broadband subscribers round out that dimension". Well, this may all be about to change with the current progression of @22 region of the city - the modern high-tech, wi-fi neighbourhood of the city with several of the biggest Spanish Institutions already aboard.

However, perhaps the key reason I believe Barcelona really should have been included is because of its unprecedented urban gentrification - the process of transforming the lower-class areas of a city into high valued areas. Prior to the property crash of 2008, Barcelona was just about the most expensive cities to purchase property in in comparison with the average wage. There are many activist groups who protest regularly about housing prices and the possible lack of assistance from the government, locally or at national level. Since the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona has seen an enormous improvement having a colossal injection of funding to bring the city into contemporary Europe - with amazing success. The constant clean-up that Barcelona continues to be experiencing serves as a model to other cities around the world. The aforementioned Forum of cultures, the massive tourism industry, meticulous restoration of the old town and other districts (greatly subsidised by the city council) led to the royal Institute of British Architects to award in 1999 its gold medal to the entire city of Barcelona instead of an individual. Famous architect Sir Richard Rogers is also heading an "Urban Task Force" which is said to provide "Barcelonization" of 10 British cities, including Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

Perhaps Barcelona slipped through the net this time round, but I don't think it will take long to climb the ladder and cement its position in the upcoming Global Cities Index.

 Streetwise Spanish.
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