International Leaders to Address Housing Crisis

Former Mayor of Paris and Global Ambassador for the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, Anne Hidalgo, will speak at the HOWS Barcelona–Housing World Summit, alongside Anna Minton, Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the University of East London, and Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat. The congress, promoted by Barcelona City Council and organised by Fira de Barcelona, will take place from 3 to 5 November 2026 at the Gran Via exhibition centre. It coincides with the Smart City Expo World Congress and brings together governments, cities, real estate developers, non-profits, academics and institutions.

The summit comes at a time when housing has become a 'critical urban infrastructure' and one of the main challenges for cities.

Mayors and Experts to Debate Affordable Housing

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni will lead an international mayors’ roundtable on the right to remain in cities and global housing policies. Mayors attending include Giuseppe Sala of Milan, Gergely Karácsony of Budapest, Haris Doukas of Athens and Andre Dickens of Atlanta. Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment and Climate Action in Ireland and President of the European Commission’s Housing Advisory Council, will also participate. The programme focuses on five thematic areas:

  • Urban planning and land policy
  • Housing regulation
  • Social and affordable housing
  • Innovation in construction and renovation
  • Renewal and reuse of existing buildings

Sessions will address public land availability, land banks, underused plots, rental market regulation amid tourism and speculation, public housing models, cooperative housing, co-living schemes, and new public-private financing mechanisms.

HOWS Barcelona will host the Housing Mayors’ Meeting, a closed-door working session for mayors and senior housing officials from cities worldwide.

What This Means for Residents

The summit offers a platform for sharing policies that could influence local housing strategies in Barcelona and beyond. For residents, this includes potential changes to rental regulations, social housing development and urban regeneration projects. Those interested can follow updates via the official Fira de Barcelona website at firabarcelona.com.

Primary sources: Ajuntament de Barcelona. Reported by europapress.es, Europa Press, firabarcelona.com, Fira de Barcelona, Fira de BCN, Metrópoli Publicada 8 d’octubre 2026, tercerainformacion.es, minyu-net.com, Europa Press Barcelona.