The new 22@, the result of the modification of the urban planning rules that was approved a year and a half ago and that will be applied to the area that remains to be developed – 40% of its total 200 hectares – is opening in three blocks. One, the one delimited by the streets Ciutat de Granada, Llull, Badajoz and Pujades, has a plan, not yet definitive, that covers its entire surface. The other two – those that make up Bolívia, Badajoz, Tànger and Àvila, and Àvila, Pujades, Llull and Àlaba – also have theirs, equally provisional, although it does not affect its entire extension. In all cases, as stated in the new framework that regulates the technological district, 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 for equipment.
The respective urban improvement plans (PMU) of these three spaces were initially approved by the government commissions of the City Council on September 28, that of the entire block, and on June 22, those of the other two. The start of this planning occurs at a time when the level of office occupancy in the Barcelona technodistrict is low and, on the contrary, the demand for housing remains high largely because the supply is insufficient, which triggers prices to levels unbearable for most.
The neighborhood entities of Sant Martí consider that one thing and the other do not match, that something is wrong and must be corrected. A report from the Observatori dels Barris del Poblenou made public a few days ago warned that 42% of the offices in 22@ are unoccupied and that if those that are under construction, which are not few, have no use when they are completed, this percentage will rise to 53%. More than a half. These data make it clear, in the opinion of the authors of the study, that the 22@ model, born in 2000, shows obvious signs of exhaustion. The real estate sector considers, however, that this situation is due to the situation in the tertiary market after the pandemic that affects all large cities and hopes that it will recover in 2024. 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 supply available, something that did not happen in previous crises.
This discussion should not alarm, in the opinion of the mayor, Jaume Collboni, who also recalled that this mismatch between the supply and demand of offices that is observed in 22@ is temporary and has defended the new urban planning of the technological district in the that housing has gained weight without this meaning that tertiary uses must lose it 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 accent that this area has, going from three million square meters to four.
The first entire block in which the new rules will be applied gives a concrete idea, according to the first deputy mayor and head of the municipal Urban Planning area, Laia Bonet, of what they want to do. “We want to complete 22@ – he explains – as a district that attracts talent and innovation and that also has more affordable housing, equipment to respond to the needs of residents and that is greener to contribute to the fight against climate change and the reduction of emissions.”
The island delimited by Ciutat de Granada, Llull, Badajoz and Pujades, with 13,018 square meters of surface and 41,648 square meters of roof, is currently occupied by large industrial warehouses but low height - ground floor plus one floor - and lacks cataloged elements that preserve which will allow a complete transformation. The concentration of ownership should also facilitate this. Its PMU provides for 32,500 square meters of roof space for economic activity and 9,100 square meters of housing, all for protection (50% rental). A quarter of the block will be free space – mainly in the center with steps to connect with the streets – and the City Council will obtain land for equipment, yet to be determined, and 36 units of public accommodation (2,000 square meters).
The plan, which is on public display, also provides for innovative urban planning elements with a gender perspective, mandatory in the new 22@. One is the improvement of the perception of security by avoiding hidden spaces, without exit or visibility. Also that 40% of the ground floor façade and a minimum of 50% of the passage walls are transparent. Likewise, at least 10% of the ground floor of the tertiary area will be guaranteed for activity.
In the other two blocks, the PMU only organize part of their surface (38,294 and 21,935 square meters of roof) because existing properties intended for housing or considered a consolidated industrial building must be maintained.
