The new 22@, the result of the modification of the urban rules that was approved a year and a half ago and that will be applied to the surface that remains to be developed – 40% of the total 200 hectares -, is released in three islands One, the one bounded by the streets Ciutat de Granada, Llull, Badajoz and Pujades, has a plan, not yet final, that covers the entire surface. The other two – those that form Bolivia, Badajoz, Tanger and Ávila, and Ávila, Pujades, Llull and Álaba – also have their own, equally provisional, but it does not affect the entire extension. In all cases, as the new framework that regulates the technology district says, the premise is to incorporate more housing than before the change in regulations, if possible, increasing economic activity, in addition to reserving public space and equipment.
The urban improvement plans (PMU) for these three spaces were initially approved by the governing commissions of the City Council on September 28, for the entire island, and on June 22, for the other two. The launch of this planning takes place at a time when the level of office occupancy in Barcelona’s tech district is low and, on the contrary, the demand for housing remains high largely because there is not enough supply , causing prices to skyrocket to unaffordable levels for most.
The neighborhood organizations of Sant Martí consider that one fact and the other do not match, that something is wrong and must be corrected. A report from the Observatorio dels Barris del Poblenou that was made public a few days ago warned that 42% of the offices in the 22@ are unoccupied and that if those that are under construction, which are not few, have no use when they end, the percentage will rise to 53%. More than half of the total. These data make it clear and clean, according to the authors of the study, that the 22@ model, born in 2000, shows obvious signs of exhaustion. The real estate sector considers, on the other hand, that this situation is due to the state of the tertiary market after the pandemic, which affects all large cities and expects that in 2024 it will gradually recover. Then, they say, Barcelona will be in optimal conditions compared to other cities with which it competes to attract activity because it will have the necessary offer available, something that did not happen in previous crises.
This discussion should not alarm, in the opinion of the mayor of Barcelona, ??Jaume Collboni, who has also recalled that this mismatch between the offer and the demand for offices that is observed in the 22@ is conjunctural and has defended the new urban planning of the technological district in which housing has gained weight without the fact that tertiary uses have to lose in absolute terms. The potential for the entire area is 17,000 homes, 8,000 more than those estimated two decades ago. The municipal government, with the corrections made last year, is committed to preserving the economic focus of this area, going from three million square meters to four million.
The first entire block where the new rules will be applied gives a concrete idea, according to the first deputy mayor and head of the municipal Urbanism area, Laia Bonet, of what is to be done. “We want to complete the 22@ – he explains – as a district that attracts talent and innovation and that also has more affordable housing and equipment to respond to the needs of the residents and that is greener to contribute to the fight against change climate and the reduction of emissions”.
The island bounded by Ciutat de Granada, Llull, Badajoz and Pujades, with 13,018 m2 of surface area and 41,648 m2 of roof space, is currently occupied by large but low-rise industrial buildings – ground floor plus one floor – and has no elements listed for preservation , which will allow a complete transformation. The concentration of ownership should also facilitate this. The PMU foresees 32,500 m2 of roof for economic activity and 9,100 m2 of housing, all for protection (50% rent). The fourth part of the island will be free space – mainly in the center, with steps to connect with the streets – and the City Council will obtain land for equipment, still to be determined, and 36 units of subsidized accommodation (2,000 m2).
This plan, which is on public display, also includes urban planning elements with an innovative gender perspective, mandatory in the new 22@. One is the improvement of the perception of security by avoiding hidden spaces, with no exit or visibility. Also that 40% of the facade of the ground floor and a minimum of 50% of the walls of the passages will be transparent. Also, at least 10% of the ground floor will be guaranteed in the tertiary zone for activity.
In the other two islands, the PMUs only order part of the surface (38,294 m2 and 21,935 m2 of roof) because properties that are already intended for housing or considered consolidated industrial buildings must be maintained.
