Xavier Matilla Ayala

Former Chief Architect at City of Barcelona | Spain

Xavier Matilla is an architect, urban planner, and co-founder of the public space design agency Territoris XLM. As Barcelona’s former chief architect, Xavier directed multiple urban transformations that aimed to make the city a healthier, friendlier, and fairer place to be. One of his projects – Barcelona Superblocks – has received recognition internationally as an effective strategy for transforming urban streets into spaces of better environmental quality and an increased social and economic relations at a local scale. Xavier was also the mind behind the "Let's protect schools" program, which improved the environment and security in the areas around more than 200 schools. His other public space transformations of not include Meridiana Avenue, Parc de Glòries, and Via Laietana. Allowing him to share his experience with the next generation of urbanists, Xavier is also a professor at the Department of Urbanism, Territory and Landscape (DUTP) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and at the Master Metropoli in Metropoli Institute of Barcelona (IMB).