Track: | Housing |

Welcome to the first edition of the HOWS Barcelona - Housing World Summit, the new global meeting point for those shaping the future of housing. This opening session will bring together high-level representatives to set the stage for three days of dialogue, ideas and action around one of the defining urban challenges of our time. From affordability and land availability to new housing models, financing, innovation and regeneration, HOWS Barcelona starts with a shared ambition: turning the global housing challenge into concrete pathways for more accessible, resilient and inclusive cities.

Welcome to our 2026 edition – the global stage where urban innovation comes to life. This opening session sets the tone for an exciting journey ahead, with a warm welcome from Smart City Expo director Ugo Valenti and Tomorrow.Mobility president Marc Rozendal. Joining them are high-level representatives who will share how territories around the world are becoming better places to live and thrive. Get ready for three action-packed days of bold ideas and groundbreaking strategies from around the globe.

A relaxed moment to have a drink and mingle with other attendees at the venue’s main entrance after the World Smart City Awards gala.

Housing has become one of the most urgent challenges facing cities worldwide, affecting affordability, social cohesion, economic opportunity, and the residents’ ability to remain in their neighbourhoods. While the pressures may differ across local contexts, cities need to provide immediate responses while also advancing the structural changes needed to expand housing supply, protect residents, and secure long-term affordability. Bringing together mayors from different cities, this high-level roundtable will provide a space to explore how urban governments are addressing housing challenges across different local contexts.

Three days of conversations, experiences and perspectives come together in this closing session of the HOWS Barcelona - Housing World Summit. After a programme addressing housing from multiple angles —from planning and regulation to affordability, financing, construction and regeneration— this final session will bring the first edition of HOWS Barcelona to a close, reinforcing its ambition to foster dialogue, collaboration and action around the future of housing.