Ada Colau was one of the founding members and spokespeople of the Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca, which was set up in Barcelona in 2009 in response to the rise in evictions caused by unpaid mortgage loans and the collapse of the Spanish property market in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
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Ada Colau was born in Barcelona, and grew up in the Guinardo neighbourhood.
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Ada Colau's went to school at the Santa Anna and Febrer Academies, and went on to study philosophy at the University of Barcelona but lacks the pertinent degree due to leaving her studies before completion, precisely by one subject, which she claims was due to economic instability in her family.
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Ada Colau was one of the founding members of the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages in 2009, and acted as the organization's spokeswoman until 2014.
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Ada Colau rose to national prominence after calling a representative of the Spanish Banking Association "a criminal" while representing the PAH at a parliamentary hearing on the housing crisis in February 2013.
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Ada Colau is coauthor of the book Mortgaged Lives, based on her experiences of grassroots campaigning and direct action with the PAH.
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On 7 May 2014, Ada Colau announced her resignation as spokesperson of the PAH.
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On 15 June 2019, during the inaugural session of the new municipal council, Colau commanded a qualified majority of the plenary for the investiture vote, thus renewing her mandate as Mayor of Barcelona.
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Ada Colau's considers herself in the camp "committed to advancing towards a democratic, social and freedom-loving European project".
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Ada Colau was indicted by the Spanish judiciary in 2022 for alleged irregularities in the handing of subsidies to entities linked to her party Barcelona en Comu, including to the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages which she founded in 2009.
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Ada Colau has been criticised for several other controversial hirings, such as that of her husband Adria Alemany.
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Ada Colau's has repeatedly opposed the expansion of El Prat airport and the use of private cars in the city, and has pushed regional authorities to restrict the number of cruise ships arrivals in Barcelona.
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Ada Colau called for a reduction of air traffic during the C40 Cities 2019 summit, arguing that aeroplanes generate greenhouse gas emissions that are "very dangerous for the planet".
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Ada Colau's came under criticism in 2020 for using a car to attend a radio interview in which she advocated using public transport instead of cars.
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