Urban regeneration in Barcelona, Spain

The vision for the urban regeneration of the Sud-Oest del Besòs neighbourhood involves enhancing and modernizing the urban fabric to strengthen its integration with the rest of Barcelona. Our aim is to equip the area with new infrastructure and innovative landscape strategies that cater to the demands of contemporary society.

Through thoughtful urban planning and sustainable design, we envision a connected and cohesive community that embraces its cultural heritage, green spaces, and inclusivity, creating a lasting impact on the neighbourhood’s identity and livability.

Nestled beside the modern expanse of the Parc del Fòrum, a thriving art district by the sparkling sea designed in 2004 to extend Barcelona towards the Besòs River, Sud-Oest del Besòs finds itself disconnected from the city, hindering the full realization of the Parc del Fòrum’s potential. Despite the council’s commendable efforts to sustain activity within the Parc del Fòrum through events like Primavera Sound, the link with the city remains sporadic and weak. This highlights a golden opportunity for the regeneration of Sud-Oest del Besòs – a chance to redefine its urban landscape as a vital ‘backbone’ rather than an isolating ‘tumour,’ thus reinvigorating the symbiotic relationship between the Parc del Fòrum and the vibrant city of Barcelona.

Jury’s evaluation

GA717_THE BACKBONE

This project focuses its main strategy on the creation of a linear park, parallel to the Rambla Prim, which aims to improve the poor connection between the district and the Forum area. In this way, it proposes to resolve this pending issue, given that, since its creation, the Forum has had a great deal of use on a city scale, with the famous music festivals that welcome thousands of people at certain times of the year. However, it is clear that the relationship on a neighbourhood scale is deficient. The project proposes to incorporate into the structure
of the district one of the largest open spaces, closer and with a direct relationship to the sea in a more direct way from the point of view of pedestrian accessibility. Beyond this action, the rest of the proposals for the buildings are of little importance in relation to the key issues of regeneration and improvement of the housing problems.

Este proyecto centra su estrategia principal en la creación de un parque lineal, paralelo a la Rambla Prim, que pretende mejorar la mala conexión del barrio con el ámbito del Forum. Se propone con esta intervención resolver este tema pendiente, dado que, desde su creación, el Forum ha tenido un gran uso a escala de ciudad, con los famosos festivales de música que acogen a miles de personas en determinadas temporadas del año. Sin embargo, es evidente que la relación a escala de barrio es deficiente. El proyecto propone incorporar a la estructura del barrio de forma más directa desde el punto de vista de la accesibilidad peatonal uno de los
espacios abiertos más grande, más próximo y con relación directa al mar. Más allá de esta actuación, el resto de las propuestas para la edificación tienen poca entidad en relación con los temas claves de regeneración y mejora de los problemas de las viviendas.

Link: https://www.europan-europe.eu/media/default/0001/28/e17_es_jury_report_pdf.pdf

Location: Barcelona, Spain / Date: 2023 / Program: Urban masterplan, urban regeneration, landscape design, linear park / Status: EUROPAN 17 (Shortlisted)