What works in Barcelona
All catalogues · Spain profile
Quality scores are 0–100 rubric scores; “strong evidence” reflects study design; adoptions count documented replications elsewhere. Know more
Evidence snapshot for Barcelona
Barcelona has invested in open-source digital platforms and large-scale neighbourhood interventions to advance participatory democracy, smart infrastructure, and equity. Decidim drew 40,000+ citizens and 10,860 proposals in its 2016–2019 strategic-plan process and has since been adopted by 150+ institutions worldwide, while Sentilo grew from a city platform to a province-wide sensor network serving 300+ municipalities with 10,350+ connected sensors. Pla de Barris, a €150m multi-sector programme across 16 deprived neighbourhoods, showed uneven results: women in high-investment areas reported 15.5% less poor mental health and 21.7% less poor self-perceived health, but men showed no gains. The city has also pursued inclusive entrepreneurship through the Gendered Landscape Program, adopting 18 actions into a 2022–2025 implementation plan, though independent evaluation of cost savings and long-term outcomes remains limited across these initiatives.
Drawn from: Decidim — Barcelona's Open-Source Participatory Democracy Platform · Gendered Landscape Program · Pla de Barris — Barcelona's €150m Neighbourhood Plan With a Quasi-Experimental Health Evaluation · Sentilo — Barcelona Province's Open-Source Sensor Platform Scaling to 300+ Municipalities · 22@Barcelona — From Industrial Poblenou to Innovation District, Costs Included · Plan to Promote the Social and Solidarity Economy 2021-2023 (PIESS) · Barcelona Innova: Strategy for Boosting Urban Innovation in Barcelona · Registre d'Algorismes — Catalonia's Public Registry of Government AI Systems and Algorithms
Generated from this place's cited practices only. Always check the linked sources.
Strengths & weaknesses vs peers
Strengths
Transparency, fairness & accountability +38 pts 92 here · 54 average
Teacher capability & pedagogy +29 pts 67 here · 37 average
Transparency, ethics & data protection +20 pts 67 here · 47 average
Equity & inclusion +17 pts 67 here · 50 average
Transferability / demonstrated replication +14 pts 74 here · 60 average
Inclusiveness / equity +13 pts 56 here · 43 average
Innovation level +11 pts 73 here · 62 average
Multi-stakeholder collaboration +11 pts 85 here · 74 average
Weaknesses
Sustainability (ongoing) -12 pts 67 here · 78 average
Evidence of learning impact -26 pts 0 here · 26 average
Water & soil — retention, infiltration, erosion control -48 pts 0 here · 48 average
Biodiversity — conservation / improvement, evidenced -48 pts 0 here · 48 average
Evaluation evidence -49 pts 0 here · 49 average
Score profile vs peers
Coloured bar: Barcelona. Grey bar: peer average across the corpus. Both on a common 0–100 scale.
Points compare this place's average on each dimension with the average across all evaluated places, on a common 0–100 scale. Know more
Top good practices here
Decidim — Barcelona's Open-Source Participatory Democracy Platform · 86
Gendered Landscape Program · 81
Pla de Barris — Barcelona's €150m Neighbourhood Plan With a Quasi-Experimental Health Evaluation · 76
Sentilo — Barcelona Province's Open-Source Sensor Platform Scaling to 300+ Municipalities · 76
22@Barcelona — From Industrial Poblenou to Innovation District, Costs Included · 76
Plan to Promote the Social and Solidarity Economy 2021-2023 (PIESS) · 76
Barcelona Innova: Strategy for Boosting Urban Innovation in Barcelona · 76
Registre d'Algorismes — Catalonia's Public Registry of Government AI Systems and Algorithms · 73
Each number is the practice's overall 0–100 quality score against its catalogue's rubric. Know more
Recommended to adopt or replicate
Transferable practices from elsewhere that address this place's gaps.
Ciudad Mujer — El Salvador's Integrated Women's Services Programme · fit 100/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Already adopted in 3 other places
SASA! Community Mobilisation Programme against Intimate Partner Violence — Uganda · fit 100/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Already adopted in 4 other places
Karya — Fair-Wage AI Data-Work Platform Bringing Digital Income to Rural India · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
safe+natal — Comadrona-Designed Smartphone Checklist for Maternal Risk Screening in Rural Guatemala · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Digital Green — Video-Mediated Agricultural Extension · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Kartu Prakerja – National Digital Skills and Financial Inclusion Programme · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Rwanda's Land Tenure Regularization Programme — Titling Land in Women's Names · fit 90/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Already adopted in 6 other places
Fit estimates how well a practice matches this place, 0 (poor) to 100 (excellent); the list is ordered to favour practices that address this place's gaps. Know more