The Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) exemplifies a strategic transformation of urban-industrial ecosystems aimed at integrating decarbonisation with logistics innovation, particularly within high-density metropolitan nodes; as an institutional actor, CZFB bridges public infrastructure governance and private-sector adaptability through hybridised planning tools, such as the DFactory or the Logistics 4.0 programmes, that converge around advanced manufacturing, circular economy principles and AI-enhanced supply chains, repositioning traditional free trade zones as experimental grounds for green digital transition; a fundamental tension resolved by CZFB lies in balancing economic growth with carbon neutrality mandates, a challenge confronted through targeted investments in additive manufacturing, automation, and blockchain for traceability, within a clear ESG-driven framework; for instance, the Logistics 4.0 incubator aligns with EU Green Deal goals by prototyping low-emission freight corridors and synchronising real-time data flows among port terminals, customs agents and last-mile operators; this re-territorialisation of industrial logistics is especially critical in post-pandemic urban resilience strategies where flexibility, redundancy and localisation play a central role in both operational and regulatory designs; a notable example is the 3D Incubator, Europe’s first high-tech hub entirely devoted to 3D printing, which coalesces startups, research labs and corporate partners under a co-financed governance model, significantly reducing production-related carbon footprints while shortening design-to-market cycles; thus, CZFB not only manages infrastructure but curates a platform ecology of innovation, where regulatory innovation, entrepreneurial networks and green tech co-evolve, fostering a competitive yet sustainable industrial metabolism for 21st-century cities
