Urban governance and political change under a radical left government: The case of Barcelona

Abstract

Local elections in May 2015 represented a major shift in the political history of Barcelona (Spain). The Barcelona en Comú candidacy, born in January 2015 under the impetus of a set of progressive social and political organizations, became the first municipal political force in the city. This article analyzes the cycle of creation, electoral victory, and government action of Barcelona en Comú during the current legislature (2015–2019). In so doing, the article focuses its attention on the emancipatory urban political practices emerged in recent years in response to the fractures and contradictions generated by neoliberal austerity. In dialogue with the literature on social movements and urban neoliberalism, the article focuses its attention on the challenges and opportunities that the local institutionalization of these forms of counterpolitics entails.