Quo Vadis, Barcelona?, by Vicenç Ferrer

Vicenç Ferrer, managing partner of Leebow Partners, explains that although the first wave of the pandemic caught New York and Barcelona by surprise “there were few differences in their initial management” of the crisis. New York, however, “was able to reverse the situation with the right measures, solid intergovernmental coordination, and excellent public relations.”

He claims that this was not the case in Barcelona, where “unfortunately, the subsequent waves revealed disagreements between institutions, while communication has been, at best, confusing, and too often contradictory.”

Beyond the "huge disparity in the availability of vaccines,” Ferrer asserts that Barcelona should learn from New York’s handling of the crisis: "Pandemics are cathartic and (re)foundational events that shape the future of cities for decades. NYC will come out stronger, but I wonder if Barcelona can say the same?” He concludes, “let's learn from the success of other cities and get Barcelona moving again.”