Journal
Modifier 24 February 2021
by Alessandro Coppola
MARES Journal 6: get an update about Madrid project
UIA Expert Alessandro Coppola drives us through the knowledge stemming from the implementation of the innovative solution proposed by the City of Madrid regarding the development and strengthening of the social and solidarity economy in four neighbourhoods. In his 6th Journal, Alessandro discusses what has happened after the official closure of the project and its challenging transition at a time of political change in the city of Madrid. He updates us on what has happened to the spaces - the so-called Mar - opened by the project at a time in which the pandemic has posed additional challenges to their functioning. Then He moves to discuss the legacy of the initiative and its incoming development: in particular, the changes in the overall local policy framework in which the initiative was rooted - the development of the social and solidarity economy and the support of redistributive interventions towards poorer neighbourhoods - and the procurement processes that the city has launched for the management of the Mar and their activities. He finally shares some key lessons learnt from the projects also in the perspective of its potential replication and adaptation to other contexts.
Executive summary
The Mares de Madrid initiative ended over a year ago in the context of a difficult and challenging local political transition. As a new administration has taken over the government of the city, the future of the policy has been redefined. The initiative’s partners no longer manage the four Mar, and the many economic projects that have been developed are no longer supported by the many services they provided. On top of this transition, the pandemic - that has hit Madrid with particular violence - has made the adjustment to the new realities for both the spaces and the projects further problematic.
In this final issue of this journal, we intend to give the sense of and to offer insights into:
- what happened to the overall strategies - the social and solidarity economy development strategy and the territorial equalisation strategy - in the framework of which Mares de Madrid was rooted;
- what happened to the spaces, the ecosystems and the economic initiatives after the end of Mares de Madrid;
- what is the new city’s overall agenda for the support of innovation and the circular economy and what is the place of Mares in this agenda;
- what are the contents and next steps in the city’s new procurement processes for the management of the spaces and the activities that will have to take place;
- Mared de Madrid’s key learnings and recommendations for city administrations that may want to replicate its approach.
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