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Francesc Martí

Francesc Martí | City of Zaragoza Barcelona, Spain

Biography

Francesc Martí is the Director of the Urban Innovation Team with the City of Zaragoza, Spain, a joint venture with Bloomberg Philanthropies' i-Teams program. He has spent 18+ years strengthening cities through innovation, inclusion, and strategic policy design. He previously served as Assistant Commissioner at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where he helped enact the largest municipal incentive program for multifamily construction in the US. His career began under Mayor Bloomberg and includes roles with the New York State Legislature and California YIMBY.

Sessions

13:15h

Thematic Roundtable | HOWS BARCELONA Housing - Housing Regulation

How can we Finance Affordable Housing When Public Budgets are Never Enough?

Manuel B. Aalbers KU Leuven Professor of Urban and Economic Geography Chair

Tanguy Desrousseaux European Investment Bank Head of Housing, Cities & Regions Department, Project Directorate Chair

Francesc Martí City of Zaragoza Director of Urban Innovation Team - Bloomberg Philantropies i-Team Moderator

#Housing Financialization, #Innovative Models of Collaboration, #Institutional Funds, #Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships, #Public-Private Partnerships, #Tax Incentives

2026-11-05 13:15 2026-11-05 14:00 Europe/Madrid How can we Finance Affordable Housing When Public Budgets are Never Enough?

Delivering affordable housing at scale requires more than political commitment. It demands financing models that can mobilise public and private capital at sufficient volume, distribute risk appropriately, and keep homes affordable over time. As public budgets alone are often insufficient, the session will focus on how cities, development banks and investment institutions can combine funds, guarantees, and public-private partnerships to make projects viable, manage risk, and ensure that investment supports long-term affordability rather than short-term market dynamics.

Stage: HOWS BARCELONA

Thu 5

13:15h - 14:00h Stage: HOWS BARCELONA All Passes