He has controversially suggested that large infrastructure projects (like metro extensions) must be paired with "anti-speculation agreements" to ensure that new stations don’t simply drive up land prices and displace existing communities. Maristany is not without his detractors. Opposition parties, particularly the center-right Junts per Catalunya and the liberal Ciutadans, accuse him of "urbanism of prohibition"—using the superblock to punish drivers rather than improve mobility. They point to traffic snarls in the Eixample and argue that his policies hurt local delivery businesses and taxi drivers.
Barcelona’s public transport was rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic, which had decimated ridership. Simultaneously, the system faced a "heatflation" crisis: record summer temperatures were making underground stations unbearably hot, and rising energy costs threatened operational budgets. jaime maristany
His early political work focused on the "Right to Housing" movement. He was a key advisor on housing policies during Colau’s first term, helping to design measures like the regulation of tourist apartments and the creation of public housing stock. This dual focus—mobility and housing—is rare, as most politicians specialize in one. For Maristany, the two are inseparable: a transit stop defines where affordable housing is viable, and housing density determines what transit is sustainable. Maristany rose to prominence as the primary defender and explainer of Barcelona’s most famous urban experiment: the superilles (superblocks). The superblock model reclaims street intersections and through-roads, converting them into citizen spaces for play, walking, and greenery while rerouting traffic to perimeter roads. They point to traffic snarls in the Eixample
In the complex ecosystem of Barcelona’s city government, where political coalitions often blend ideological activism with technical governance, Jaime Maristany stands out as a distinctive figure. A civil engineer by training and a politician by conviction, Maristany has become one of the most influential—and occasionally controversial—voices in the city’s transformation over the last half-decade. His early political work focused on the "Right