There are places in Barcelona where the echo of the industrial past weighs heavily on every brick. In the Sant Andreu district, the walls of the former Mercedes-Benz car factory hold the memory of assembly lines and engines, but soon those memories will give way to the rustling of leaves and the footsteps of residents. The Barcelona City Council has given its final approval to the land-redevelopment project that will transform this historic, enclosed site into a massive eco-neighborhood, naturally connecting the neighborhoods of El Bon Pastor and Sant Andreu.
With this municipal approval, recently confirmed, the developer Conren Tramway (CT) has the green light to begin urban development work in the coming months and construct the first apartment buildings. The project aims to heal the urban fabric just a stone’s throw from the future La Sagrera high-speed rail station, creating an environment designed exclusively for people, where housing, commerce, and nature will coexist in a single car-free space.
A vast pedestrian haven
The main attraction of the future La Mercedes neighborhood is its commitment to breathing deeply. The design will transform the former 90,000-square-meter site into a green lung that, once fully completed, will offer up to 185,000 square meters free of vehicular traffic.
Of this total area, more than 5.5 hectares will be purely green spaces, designed as an extension of the Parc del Camí Comtal. The intention is for this blanket of nature to create an uninterrupted thread through the heart of the city, connecting streets and squares without the disruption of cars.
More than 1,300 homes will be built in the heart of this new development. It will be a mixed-use project in which 40% of the apartments will be designated as affordable housing, ensuring a social component. For those interested in the private-market units, the process is already underway: the developers have posted a form on their website for prospective buyers, in preparation for the sales launch this fall.
But a neighborhood isn’t just a place to sleep. The project will dedicate 15,000 square meters of street-level space to bring the community to life with shops, restaurants, and essential services. In addition, the site will retain its productive spirit, replacing old engines with talent: 59,000 square meters will be reserved for companies in the fields of health, technology, and innovation.
The new heartbeat of northern Barcelona
For those leading the project, this transformation goes far beyond simply constructing buildings. Paco Hugas, co-founder and co-CEO of Conren Tramway, notes that this final approval confirms that the new Mercedes is now a tangible reality.
According to the spokesperson,this project will not only transform the northern part of Barcelona but will also help establish the La Sagrera area as a new hub in the Catalan capital. The ultimate goal is to address the fundamental challenges of our time: providing new homes, boosting the local economy, and establishing a city model that is much more people-friendly, green, and—at last—designed for those who walk its streets.
