From Declining to Award-Winning City: The Journey of Bilbao, Spain

The Intelligent Community

In this episode of The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla speaks with Idoia Postigo, Director General at Bilbao Metropoli-30. Idoia shares the story of how Bilbao recovered from industrial decline and revitalized itself into a city that won the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in 2010.

Since the inception of the Association for the Revitalization of Metropolitan Bilbao (Bilbao Metropoli-30) in 1991, Idoia Postigo has been responsible for promoting and disseminating the revitalization plan and implementing its strategic actions. Making use of her 30 years of international experience in urban planning strategies, Idoia’s work has positioned the Association at the center of the metropolis’ urban development and an influencer of all the main actors responsible for it, especially public institutions and citizens. Idoia’s influence spans widely, as an active member of many local boards, societies and networks, including the Advisory Council of the Urban Agenda at Euskadi-Bultzatu 2050, the Bilbao-Bizkaia Action Group, and the Bilbao Port Community UNIPORT. She is also a published author, graduate in political sciences, international relations, psychology and organizational behaviour and – seeing interpersonal relationships as fundamental in her field – a teacher in training modules for Emotional Intelligence, Social Skills, Team Management and Motivation.