Jaime Maristany File

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.

Furthermore, his tenure at TMB has seen labor tensions. Unions have accused management of understaffing, leading to overcrowding and safety concerns. Maristany has responded by emphasizing that automation and efficiency are necessary to keep the system solvent, a position that puts him at odds with some of his left-wing allies. What defines Jaime Maristany is his ability to translate radical goals into bureaucratic language. He is a politician who will cite engineering standards and EU funding regulations in the same breath as social justice manifestos. In an era of polarized soundbites, he is known for long, data-dense PowerPoint presentations. jaime maristany

As Barcelona prepares for future challenges—from the expansion of El Prat airport to the climate crisis—Jaime Maristany remains a central figure. Whether he succeeds or fails, the city’s evolution will bear the unmistakable imprint of the engineer who believes that the street, like the home, is a fundamental right. His early political work focused on the "Right

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. For Maristany, the two are inseparable: a transit

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.