ABSTRACT
In 1999, precedent has been broken to award the Royal Gold
Medal to a city: to Barcelona, its government, its citizens and
design professionals of all sorts. Inspired city leadership, pursuing
an ambitious yet pragmatic urban strategy and the highest design
standards, has transformed the city’s public realm, immensely
expanded its amenities and regenerated its economy, providing
pride in its inhabitants and delight in its visitors […] Probably
nowhere else in the world are there so many recent examples, in
large cities and small towns, of a benign and appropriate attitude
towards creating a civic setting for the next century.1
