Barcelona to have a World Bank Office The branch office will focus on monitoring and exporting the technological

innov ations that have made the Catalan capital a standard-bearer among smart cities. Madrid, Spain, May 22, 2013 - The branch office will focus on monitoring and exp orting the technological innovations that have made the Catalan capital a standa rd-bearer among smart cities. The future of cities lies in their intelligence, and Barcelona wants to make its elf the emblem for smart cities. The use of new technologies allows smart cities to improve and increase the efficiency and sustainability of the services they offer, such as lighting, traffic management, water and waste treatment and medic al services. This is why the Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, has signed a memorandum of und erstanding at the World Bank headquarters in Washington that establishes a World Bank office in the city. This will be sited in properties owned by the City Cou ncil of Barcelona, and several employees of this international financial body wi ll be posted there to help carry out new technology projects. The World Bank has recognised the hard work that Barcelona has done to be an embl em of innovation , said Trias, adding that the city is already a leader in mobile t elephony and that it is now looking to establish itself as an example of a smart city. We want to focus on the example that Barcelona is setting and advise other cities about how to launch their own model , said the World Bank s Vice President of Susta inable Development, Rachel Kyte. This is the reason why we have established this partnership with a city that is developing itself as a global brand in innovatio n as a smart city", she added, saying that providing basic services in a smart w ay is the future of development for cities all over the planet. We don t want to compete with other cities. We want to find synergies and opportuni ties to collaborate with them, and this is why we are embarking on this close co operation with the World Bank , said the Mayor, who said it is senseless being a sma rt city if the point is not "to improve people s lives". Press Contact: Marca Espana Media Relations Marca Espana Serrano Galvache, 26 28033 Madrid, Espana. 512-212-1139 marcaespana@vos-us.com http://marcaespana.es Barcelona, World Bank, Marca Espana, Catalan capital Spain GOVT