Commodity-city, disciplining and imposture: critique of the 'Barcelona Model' in La ciudad mentirosa

Abstract

In “La ciudad mentirosa”, Manuel Delgado builds a merciless critique of the (allegedly progressive) city model established in Barcelona after the democratic Transition. He focuses mostly on three angles of the problem. On the one hand, he analyzes the neoliberal urban policies enforced throughout the entire period in the Catalan capital, all of which were aimed at transforming Barcelona itself into an attractive commodity for tourists and investors. On the other hand, he points at how those policies have gone hand in hand with an intention to homogenizing and disciplining the city, its face, its streets, its residents, their lifestyles. In addition, he denounces how successful local elites have been in presenting that city model to local and international public opinion as an example of progressive and civic urban management, under the catchy label of ‘Modelo Barcelona’.