Unlike the Roman, Baroque and Gothic areas of the city, the industrial nature of Poblenou Neighbourhood is reflected in its architecture, which has no limits at the time of creating new paradigms.
Known as the Catalan Manchester and situated between Vila Olímpica and Diagonal Mar-Front Marítim, Poblenou Neighbourhood offers a landscape with old factories with chimneys and new workshop spaces.
Old buildings with exposed brick walls mix with giant skyscrapers made of steel. There is also direct access to some of the most popular beaches among tourists.
Everything is possible in this neighbourhood with labour DNA and plenty of personality, which is constantly reinventing itself while keeping its traditional landscape with chimneys, factories and one-storey houses.
Let’s get to know the new setting of Poblenou Neighbourhood!
From industry to new business
In the mid 19th century, Poblenou Neighbourhood was at its most thanks to its huge industrial life, the largest in Spain. That is why it was called the Catalan Manchester.
After the industrial crisis in the 1960s, the construction of Vila Olímpica for the 1992 Olympic Games and the extension of Diagonal Avenue because of 2004 Forum, Barcelona set aside an ambitious reurbanization plan for this neighbourhood.
It was back then when 22@Barcelona was born, the so-called Innovation District. This project turned 200 unused hectares into a technological hub next to Barcelona Activa, the business incubator.
From 2000, 4500 businesses have settled down in this district. 47% of them are startups, whereas 27% work on knowledge economy. Among them, there are different examples of successful businesses, like Scytl, the most innovative technology company of Europe in 2015.
Knowledge factories
Poblenou Neighbourhood used to house diverse types of factories. This old labour landscape has been replaced by some other uses, especially educational and cultural ones.
The best example of this is metallurgical factory Can Girona, which still conserves its chimney and spaces, housing part of Poblenou Public Records. Can Saladrigas (C/ Joncar, 25) has now a two-fold purpose as library and Festival Activities Centre, whereas Oliva Artés (C/ Espronceda, 142-146) is now a huge museum.
Textile factory Ca l’Aranyó (C/ Bolivia, 82) houses the Communications Campus UPF university, Can Felipa is a community center with cultural and multidisciplinary projects and Can Framis (C/ Roc Boronat, 116-126) houses Fundació Vila Casas.
The next on the list is Can Ricart, the oldest factory of the neighbourhood, which will become part of Can Jaumandreu (C/ Perú, 52) in 2017 to be included in the future UB university campus of Humanities and Social Sciences of Poblenou.
More than 30 factories spread throughout the neighbourhood still conserve their past as old Neoclassical or Modernist temples, also incorporating a new function.
A space for artists and creators
Poblenou Neighbourhood currently houses more than 100 creative workshops and art studies. Creators find this neighbourhood ideal for them thanks to the portfolio of buildings similar to New York lofts.
Here meet artists from multiple disciplines, who look for their place among the old factories with plenty of space and light.
At the same time, diverse ephemeral proposals take part in the regeneration of old industrial buildings. They include proposals related to commerce and art, which vanish after calling the attention of the public. They are quite successful and that is why they are repeated from time to time.
This is the case of Palo Alto Market, a paradigm on how to reuse heritage spaces, adapting them to the current times. This creative market takes place on a monthly basis in an old industrial complex dated back to the end of the 19th century.
Nowadays, the area houses workshops and studies, working on creation, which live together with this original proposal.
Enchanting tourist spot
After almost three decades from the huge urban transformation of Barcelona, Poblenou Neighbourhood has become one of the most attractive destinations for tourists. However, it is still difficult to make tourism come to terms with neighbours. Located right next to the sea and with a neighbourhood-like charm, Poblenou does not want to lose the essence that lasts from generation to generation.
In its historical hub, the area conserves the same shape than a century ago. The design of the neighbourhood still features Rambla del Poblenou as its main thoroughfare, a boulevard surrounded by factories and extending up to the sea.
Meanwhile, Diagonal Avenue and Pere IV Street define the new way of moving throughout the neighbourhood.
The latter, Pere IV Street, runs parallel to the stretch that Cerdà created for Eixample Neighbourhood and constitutes one of the main backbones of the area. It is a long avenue with 44 heritage buildings, 3.1 kilometers of which will be renewed, a third of its total length.
In conclusion, development and modernization of Poblenou Neighbourhood revolves around the same point: its industrial past.
