Antoni Vives argues that city-building and city-transforming today is essentially a political, i.e. ideological task. He sees Barcelona’s future being based on revival of the polis, a healthier, more affordable, more efficient civic life. Vives outlines the history of Barcelona from the Roman colony, stressing the defining interventions of Ildefons Cerdà in the 19th century. He reviews some of the principles guiding planning and development in Barcelona, stressing productivity, mobility, inclusiveness, connectivity, self-sufficiency, and collaboration with existing communities. He describes efforts to bring high-tech industries to Barcelona as generators of fabrication, transforming a hardware city into a software city.