Barcelona, The Innovation District: between vulnerability and social equity

TL;DR

This paper examines Poblenou in Barcelona as a case of urban regeneration through innovative architecture and marketing, addressing social vulnerability and promoting social equity amidst economic and spatial transformations.

Contribution

It analyzes the urban regeneration of Poblenou, combining architectural innovation, urban marketing, and economic analysis to address social vulnerability and promote social equity.

Findings

Urban regeneration enhances attractiveness of Poblenou.

Innovative architecture breaks height regulations.

Economic analysis reveals cluster dynamics.

Abstract

The municipal actors of the Catalan capital wish to obtain a reversal of the negative representations concerning the lack of attractiveness of the district of Poblenou considered as one of the poorest and most marginalized districts of the city while having as identity the expression of "Manchester southern Europe", recalling its role as a factory for Spain and an emblem of the Industrial Revolution for the Iberian Peninsula. Conceptualization, programming and construction of a new image of the city through this large urban wasteland are made concrete thanks to an urban marketing operation. The specifications allow the construction of innovative buildings, with resolutely contemporary architecture, breaking with the regulations in force on the limitation of the height of skyscrapers in order to make this pericentral territory visible and attractive. Catalan society in the 21st century has produced a fragmented and dominating neo-capitalist space through a thoughtless real estate frenzy and complex land games. Walking through the streets of Poblenou, one is forced to think of the work of Henri Lefebvre on the production of space and the three orders of understanding the design of an urban composition. Here, the city has become a stake and the place of economic growth based on innovation. Finally, neighborhood life is in complete mutation which seems for this territory to leave a chance for a long time on the sidelines. We present an economic analysis grid of a cluster with graphs and statistics.