Collboni and Khan strengthen ties between Barcelona and London

BarcelonaThe mayors Jaume Collboni and Sadiq Khan have shortened the kilometers –or miles– that separate the cities of Barcelona and London this Tuesday. In a meeting between the two in Madrid –where the plenary session of the Bloomberg CityLab 2026 was held–, both mayors exchanged praise for the transformation of their respective cities, and have agreed to share each other's experiences in aspects such as housing or the fight against climate change.

The first example of this synergy will be seen in July, when the technical teams responsible for the transformation of two emblematic avenues in the two capitals will meet: La Rambla and Oxford Street. Collboni has stressed that both operations aim to reclaim space for residents and citizen uses. Khan, for his part, has assured that he has "the ambition to learn how Barcelona has turned one of its busiest avenues into the world-renowned Rambla", and to transfer it to Oxford Street, a street that, he admitted, has suffered a "decline" in recent decades.

Collboni, however, has advocated for this alliance to go further, and has argued that cities must help and learn from each other to move forward with innovative policies in the face of previously non-existent challenges. In this regard, the mayor of Barcelona has explained to Khan the policies of limiting rental prices or the elimination of tourist apartments that are being carried out in the Catalan capital. Collboni added that fighting gentrification and real estate speculation and climate change is an "obligation" for cities, even if they do not have all the competencies to do so.

Khan, for his part, has highlighted that "the best thing about both cities is that they are not competitors, but collaborators, friends", they work together, learn from each other and can give each other mutual advice on what is best to do or not to do in each city. The London mayor said he was impressed by how the Catalan capital has turned the "challenges" of tourism and climate change into "opportunities", and how Collboni is addressing the needs of the city's residents, the rising cost of living or the housing crisis. For Khan, the Catalan capital is a "beacon" to be inspired by.

World Mayors Meeting

In the morning, Collboni participated in the plenary session of Bloomberg CityLab 2026, where he shared with other mayors the project to support the rehabilitation of homes Rehabilitation as a Service which was awarded and which will allow 250 communities in the city to be rehabilitated. As he has insisted since the middle of his term, the mayor has made the right to stay in the city his first objective.

Organized by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute, CityLab is a forum in which a hundred mayors from around the world, politicians, urban planners, and other professionals share solutions to the main challenges of cities. In addition to Collboni, the mayors of London, Madrid, San Antonio (United States), Baltimore, and former mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, among others, have participated.