Political Career
Continuing this process of involvement and dedication to healthcare management, he joined the Barcelona municipal government as director of healthcare services. In 1993 he was elected councillor on the Barcelona Council for the PSC (Catalonia Socialist Party).
Achieving efficient municipal management and “city making” have been two constant features that have marked his municipal career. He thus directed the regeneration project for the neighbourhood of Ciutat Vella, following a comprehensive plan that combined planning intervention, financial and social investment and facilities strengthening in order to open up this district to the city and to improve the quality of life for its residents. In 1999, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awarded the City of Barcelona the Royal Gold Medal personified in the men who have driven the transformation of the city: Narcís Serra, Pasqual Maragall and Joan Clos.
As second deputy mayor with direct responsibility for organisation, economy and treasury, he started a thorough reorganisation of the economic and financial structure of the City Hall with the aim of reaching budgetary stability and, at the same time, establishing a consistent investment programme to tackle the period after the Olympic Games with new projects.
His mayor’s office was enhanced by the design, preparation and holding of the first Universal Forum of Cultures, held in Barcelona during the summer 2004 and by the consequent development of the area of Besós and Diagonal Mar, a project of urban development ten times as big as the one Barcelona went through for the Olimpic Games in 1992. The project 22@, a new technological neighbourhood built on the old Poblenou, together with the reorganisation of La Sagrera, are another two good examples of his management capabilities as Mayor of Barcelona.
In September 2006, the Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero appointed him as a Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade. In July 2008, he became the Spanish Ambassador in Turkey and Azerbaijan. Since 18 October 2010, he is the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, and Under Secretary General of the United Nations.
Read more about this topic: Joan Clos I Matheu
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