Barcelona, spearhead of globalization
If we could travel back to Barcelona in the year 2000 for a few hours, we would immediately notice the profound changes the city has undergone in the last 25 years. Perhaps at first glance they wouldn't be as spectacular as those of the previous quarter of a century, 1975-2000, but the small details would be. If we entered the subway, for example, we wouldn't see anyone looking at a cell phone, but perhaps we would see the occasional newspaper or magazine. We also wouldn't see as many tourists as we do now, although there would already be some (we've gone from three million a year to 15 million). Nor would we see as much immigrant population (from 75,000 people to 600,000).
When we went out into the street, we might be surprised to find there were more cars (150,000 more than now) and that they would be noisier and more polluting, as well as being parked everywhere. We also wouldn't see as many green areas, nor, of course, bike lanes or scooters. Instead, we would be drawn to businesses that no longer exist today, such as video stores, but also to butcher shops, bakeries, fishmongers, corset shops, and other traditional businesses that are now in decline and are being replaced by large international fashion chains, 24-hour supermarkets, and nail salons. There would also be twice as many movie theaters as there are now.
We'll leave it to the reader to judge whether we need to yearn for that post-Olympic Barcelona that was opening up to the world but still retained elements of its own particular appearance. However, it is clear that we can't turn back time, nor are the phenomena we've described exclusive to the Catalan capital. In some ways, they are a product of globalization, of which it's true that cities like Barcelona have been at the forefront, as few have had such significant brand strength without the added benefit of being the capital of a state. However, tourism, which was then seen as a major economic driver, now seems to need to be limited.
It's precisely the current political debates that seek to curb or limit the undesirable effects of this globalization, with access to housing as the main problem stemming from the tourism boom. However, it's impossible to ignore that the Barcelona where Pasqual Maragall spent his time as mayor was no paradise either, and the problems that have now become more pronounced were already beginning to emerge. The city has multiplied its GDP, has also established itself as a hub for biomedical research, hosts internationally renowned fairs such as the Mobile World Congress, the 22@ district is a well-established reality, and its universities attract students from all over the world. Surrounding cities, such as Hospitalet and Sant Cugat, have also experienced their own particular booms.
But every now and then we have to stop and reflect and see where we've come from in order to decide exactly where we want to go. And this is the main focus of this Sunday's dossier.
