The Faculty of Geography and History pays tribute to Professor Carles Carreras

Yesterday, 3 June, the Faculty of Geography and History of the University of Barcelona held a tribute ceremony to Professor Carles Carreras i Verdaguer (Maó, 1948 – 2024), professor of Human Geography and member of the consolidated research group Anàlisi Territorial i Desenvolupament Regional (ANTERRIT).  

The ceremony, which took place in the Faculty’s Aula Magna, included a roundtable with international geographers that offered a plural and diverse view on Carreras’ career. His daughter, Anna Carreras, professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business, took part in the event too. The rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia, closed the event, highlighting the Carreras contribution to urban geography and regional development.  

Carles Carreras i Verdaguer (Maó, 1948 – 2024) was a central figure in contemporary Catalan geography, both for his academic contribution and his institutional and territorial commitment. He graduated in Geography from the UB in 1971, and started teaching in 1972 as an assistant professor. He earned his PhD in 1978, and became a tenured professor in 1984. Two years later, he obtained the chair in Human Geography. From 2018 until his passing, he was an emeritus professor at the UB’s Faculty of Geography and History.  

An expert in urban geography and regional development, he stood out for his ability to combine a rigorous spatial analysis with a clear desire for spreading knowledge. He was member of the consolidated research group Anàlisi Territorial i Desenvolupament Regional (ANTERRIT) and launched and coordinated great collective projects, such as Geografia general dels Països Catalans (1992 - 1994), a landmark work that marked a generation of geographers and planners. His research focused on understanding the processes of urban and territorial transformation, with a critical and committed view of the territory. 

He held several positions of responsibility at the University of Barcelona, including that of vice-rector for International and Institutional Relations between 2008 and 2011. His university vocation transcended the classroom and his office: he actively participated in scientific institutions such as the Catalan Society of Geography, the Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona and the Menorcan Institute of Studies, where he directed the Social Sciences section and was a member of the governing council and the scientific council. 

His bond with Menorca was constant and deep. In 1996, with the Maó Town Council, he promoted the creation of the Universitat Internacional de Menorca Illa del Rei (UIMIR), a project that contributed to bringing university knowledge closer to Menorcan society. He was its first academic director and maintained an active presence for years, which favoured continuous training and scientific and cultural exchange from the Mediterranean. 

The ceremony remembered him as a committed teacher, rigorous researcher and close person, who left an indelible mark on the university community and the Catalan geography.