Anne Hidalgo, Anna Minton and Anacláudia Rossbach, headline a roster of over 100 speakers at HOWS Barcelona - Housing World Summit
Anne Hidalgo, Anacláudia Rossbach and Anna Minton to Lead Global Housing Dialogue at HOWS Barcelona 2026
BARCELONA, Spain — Global housing leaders, policymakers, urban development experts, and industry stakeholders will converge in Barcelona from November 3 to 5, 2026, for the inaugural HOWS Barcelona – Housing World Summit, an international congress focused on addressing the growing challenges of urban and affordable housing.
Hosted and promoted by Barcelona City Council and organized by Fira de Barcelona, the three-day summit will take place at the Gran Via venue alongside the Smart City Expo World Congress. It will bring together representatives from governments, cities, real estate development, academia, third-sector organizations, and international institutions to discuss practical approaches to making housing more accessible and sustainable.
Among the prominent figures headlining the event’s roster of more than 100 speakers are Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach, and Anna Minton, author and academic whose work examines the relationship between property, finance, and housing.
Their participation underscores the international significance of the summit as housing affordability and access to adequate shelter become increasingly urgent concerns for cities worldwide.
Global Housing Crisis Takes Center Stage
The summit comes amid a critical global housing situation. According to UN-Habitat, more than 300 million people worldwide are living without shelter, while approximately three billion people occupy inadequate housing.
These figures highlight the scale of the challenge facing governments and urban communities, particularly as population growth, rising property costs, land availability, and changing urban economies place additional pressure on housing systems.
Rossbach brings more than two decades of experience in housing and urban policy, particularly in addressing informal settlements and advancing social housing initiatives. As Executive Director of UN-Habitat, she will contribute an international policy perspective to discussions on housing access and urban development.
Anne Hidalgo, the first woman elected Mayor of Paris and Global Ambassador of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, will bring her experience in promoting affordable and sustainable housing as part of broader urban policy initiatives.
Also featured is Anna Minton, author of Big Capital: Who Is London For? and Reader in Architecture at the University of East London. Her work examines the financialization of land, property, and housing, offering an important perspective on how investment and property markets influence the availability and affordability of homes.
The speaker lineup will also include Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for the Sindicat de Llogateres, and Jordi Galvez, President of the Federació de Cooperatives d’Habitatge de Catalunya, bringing perspectives from housing advocacy and cooperative housing organizations.
International Mayors to Discuss Housing Solutions
A major feature of HOWS Barcelona 2026 will be the Housing Mayors’ Roundtable, hosted by Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni.
The discussion will focus on the right to stay in cities and the housing policies being implemented by local governments around the world.
Participating mayors include Giuseppe Sala of Milan, Gergely Karácsony of Budapest, Haris Doukas of Athens, and Andre Dickens of Atlanta. Eamon Ryan, President of the European Commission’s Housing Advisory Council, will also participate.
The gathering is expected to provide an opportunity for city leaders to exchange experiences and examine policy approaches to housing affordability, urban inclusion, and the challenges facing residents in increasingly expensive cities.
In addition to the public discussions, the summit will hold a Housing Mayors’ Meeting, a closed-door working session bringing together mayors and senior housing officials from international cities. The meeting will provide a dedicated setting for government representatives to discuss shared concerns and potential areas of cooperation.
Five Key Areas to Shape the Housing Conversation
The HOWS Barcelona program is organized around five central themes that reflect the different dimensions of the global housing challenge:
- Urban Planning & Land Policy – Examining land availability, urban planning strategies, and policies that influence the development of accessible housing.
- Housing Regulation – Discussing regulatory approaches, including the challenges of rental markets affected by tourism and property speculation.
- Social and Affordable Housing – Exploring housing models and policies that can expand access to homes for different communities.
- Building Innovation – Looking at new construction methods, industrialized building solutions, and financing approaches.
- Renovation, Retrofit & Reuse – Addressing the rehabilitation and improved use of existing housing stock.
Across three days, discussions will examine how cities can combine better regulation, innovative construction, alternative housing models, and more effective urban planning to respond to growing demand.
The objective is to identify concrete pathways toward more accessible cities while encouraging collaboration among public institutions, private-sector participants, housing organizations, and international experts.
Barcelona Becomes a Meeting Point for Global Housing Leaders
By bringing together political leaders, international housing institutions, academics, industry representatives, and community organizations, HOWS Barcelona 2026 aims to create a global platform for exchanging ideas and examining solutions to one of the most pressing urban challenges of our time.
Its parallel staging with the Smart City Expo World Congress also places housing within the wider conversation about the future of cities, including sustainability, innovation, urban infrastructure, and quality of life.
As housing pressures continue to affect communities across continents, the summit offers an opportunity for cities and institutions to compare experiences, explore new approaches, and strengthen cooperation around affordable and adequate housing.
HOWS Barcelona – Housing World Summit 2026 will take place from November 3 to 5 at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue in Barcelona, Spain.
SOURCE: Fira de Barcelona | PR Newswire | Property Finds Asia
