Municipalism has been the magic buzzword in debates about new urban movements and the re-democratization of politics. It is currently associated especially with cities in Spain, the most prominent one is Barcelona. Since its victory in the municipal elections 2015 the citizens platform ›Barcelona en Comú‹ is not only trying to turn urban policy making upside-down but also works on establishing a global network of Radical Cities using the city as a starting point for profound democratic change. Borough-assemblies (Asambleas) and the constant exchange between citizens and politicians form the core of the concept. What are the experiences in Barcelona two years after the electoral victory of the solidarity movement ›Barcelona en Comu‹? Can the structures of the political system be radically re-democratised in a municipalist sense? Does the new municipalist movement actually cross the horizon of representative democracy towards self-organization? What is the role of the city in the global struggle for a more democratic and just society?
Oriol Cervelló is activist of the citizens platform ›Barcelona en Comú‹, which has won the municipal elections in 2015 at its first run, and since then governs the city with mayor and activist Ada Colau. Oriol Cervelló is one of the persons responsible for the permanent exchange between Barcelonas citizens and the city government, with the aim of jointly developed solutions for urban policy making.
dérive lectures © 2017 by Oriol Cervelló / dérive is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0