The Barcelona City Council has drawn up an urban development roadmap to transform the Ciutat Vella district over the next decade. The central project of this strategy involves creating a new pedestrian and civic route that will connect Plaça de la Universitat with the Columbus statue, passing through Carrer de Joaquim Costa, Rambla del Raval, and Avinguda de les Drassanes.
This project aims to create a parallel alternative to the Rambla that will better integrate the neighborhood with the waterfront. According to city officials, the goal is to revitalize areas that currently function as secondary spaces, transforming them into spaces for civic interaction and enhancing their urban quality and daily life.
A new green space for the Raval and Las Drassanes
The creation of the so-called Eix Raval-Universitat-Mar is proposed as a key element in connecting the mountains and the sea. This route not only improves mobility but also integrates a dense network of cultural, educational, and social facilities, as well as public spaces that are currently heavily used by residents.
The urban strategy identified by the city council relies on existing natural axes, such as Via Laietana, Passeig de Joan de Borbó, and the Rambla itself, treating them as backbone corridors. A comprehensive plan is envisioned for these thoroughfares, including the renewal of street furniture, the expansion of shaded areas and greenery, and better integration between the ground floors of buildings and the public thoroughfare.
Within this package of measures, specific projects stand out , such as the transformation of the current Drassanes sports court into an indoor sports complex, the renovation of Pepe Rubianes Street, and the project at Can 60, which is envisioned as a key social and community facility for the neighborhood.
The project partially revives the idea of the “hygienist” urban planners of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who envisioned creating pedestrian axes that would crisscross Ciutat Vella vertically and horizontally to “open it up.” Via Laietana is the most radical example of this idea, but others, such as Rambla del Raval or Plaça Nova in front of the Cathedral, are partial applications of the same concept.
Structural Renovations and Housing
To carry out these transformations, City Hall acknowledges that it will be necessary to modify the current urban plan, which is considered outdated in various parts of the district. This regulatory update is essential to unlock new development opportunities, especially regarding housing.
Although the plan includes the creation of new housing units through changes to the zoning plan, the municipal priority will focus on the rehabilitation of the existing housing stock, which is in an advanced state of disrepair. The ultimate goal of the Pacte per Ciutat Vella, which encompasses some fifty actions, is to restore normality to the district and ensure that public space regains its central role for residents.