Various ATRAPA researchers participated in the World Planning Schools Congress 2026 (WPSC2026), held 29 June – 3 July 2026 at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, under the theme “Peripheral Visions – Rethinking Planning.”
During the conference, Serena Mombelli presented the paper “Media Framing and Political Discourse of Barcelona’s Urban Transformations (2016-2024),” developed within the ERC-funded ATRAPAproject. Co-authored with Jerònia Cubells, Pablo Villar Abeijón and Oriol Marquet, the study examines how media coverage and political discourse have shaped public narratives surrounding Barcelona’s urban transformations over the past decade.
ATRAPA research was also featured in the presentation “Pedestrianization: a New Trigger of Commercial Gentrification in Barcelona?” delivered by Pablo Villar Abeijón. Co-authored with Oriol Marquet, it builds on recently published ATRAPA research paper examining the relationship between pedestrianisation policies and commercial change in Barcelona, contributing to ongoing debates on the social and economic impacts of urban transformation initiatives.
Congress programme: here.
Also, prior to the congress, Pablo Villar Abeijón also participated in the WPSC2026 PhD Workshop at Tampere University, where early-career researchers exchanged ideas, discussed their work, and received constructive feedback from peers and senior academics. He presented his doctoral research, “Proximity-Driven Gentrification: The Unintended Effects of Active Mobility Interventions on Population, Commerce and Housing,” on 26 June 2026.