Barcelona 2010-2025: the 10 major transformations

BarcelonaApproaching completion, the Sagrada Família is not only one of Barcelona's most iconic monuments. It is also an unwitting symbol of the city's major projects, which are subject to extremely long processes between design, permitting, and completion. For example, on November 28, 2010, the City Council's imminent purchase of the Arnau Theatre was the first news item about Barcelona published in the ARA newspaper. Construction only began last May. Administrative processes, as we know, are not always swift. However, in this already lengthy period, during which five different mayors have held office and the city has weathered the aftermath of a financial crisis and a pandemic, the Catalan capital has been decisively transformed. The city of today is nothing like it was then.

New neighborhoods to blur boundaries

That Barcelona is not a finished city and is constantly being renewed is demonstrated by the fact that new neighborhoods are still being built today. In these 15 years we have seen projects such as the transformation of the Marina del Prat Rojo —with capacity for 28,000 residents—, the Mercedes eco-district in Bon Pastor —with 5,000 new homes— or the new neighborhoods that must be built thanks to the remodeling of the Montjuïc Fair and the urbanization of the areas surrounding the future Sagrera station. All of them with a high proportion of affordable housing and with the aim, also, of blurring existing boundaries between neighborhoods or between Barcelona itself and its neighboring cities.

Sagrera and Sants, the railway revolution

The future Sagrera station It is, in fact, another of the still unfinished projects that have filled pages and pages of this newspaper. Now in its final stages, its opening should revolutionize access to the city, improve the Catalan capital's connectivity with the rest of the country, and help to alleviate congestion at other stations like Sants, which is also undergoing renovations. It will also play a key role in the city's rail connection with its surrounding area. the L8 line of the Catalan Government Railways (FGC), which should connect the Plaça Espanya and Gràcia stations in less than 10 minutes. A city project with a metropolitan scope, as it will also connect the Vallès Metro with the Baix Llobregat region.

The metro, delayed

The extension of Metro Line 4 will also reach the new Sagrera station, a project that, after being shelved for a long time, has accelerated in the last year. The growth of the subway network It's one of the outstanding issues that have lingered since the financial crisis, although some projects have recently been revived. For example, the L9 metro line, which after years of delays and a cost overrun of almost €6 billion, is now entering a new phase, with the Catalan government planning to open the section between La Sagrera and Hospital de Sant Pau as early as 2027. Work has also restarted on the L2 line that will tunnel through Montjuïc, serving the city's mountain and connecting it to the rest of the city.

Redraw the center

Another major urban development project currently underway involves some of the main thoroughfares in the city center. In the project for renovate the Rambla —right now, halfway through the works— we must add to that the remodeling of Via Laietana —recently inaugurated after three years of work— or the pedestrianization of part of the Ronda de Sant Antoni, also opened in recent months. All of this with the aim of bringing Barcelona residents back to an area of the city that tourist pressure had driven them away in recent years.

The explosion of green corridors

The gradual decline in the prominence of private vehicles within the city is another change that has characterized Barcelona in the last fifteen years, with superblocks as the most emblematic example of this policy. The traffic calming measures implemented in the 22@ district and Sant Antoni reached the heart of the city with the Consell de Cent green axis, which removed cars from a street in the Eixample district to prioritize pedestrians, trees, and green spaces. prize Internationally as well as internally, the debate surrounding this project has even reached courts.

Glòries: from square to park

Another great example of the city's physical transformation in these 15 years is GloriesFrom 2010 until now, the city has said goodbye to the ring road that cut through the square, giving rise to one of the main green spaces in the Catalan capital. The change has been so significant that there is now debate about whether it can still be considered a square or should be referred to as a park. Pedestrians and public transport—particularly the tram—have reclaimed a space until recently monopolized by private vehicles, which now travel underground.

A tram along the Diagonal

The commitment to the tram is precisely one of the major transformations the city has undergone in recent years. After a long and arduous process, the service between Glòries and Verdaguer, with three new stops, was launched in November 2024. It was successfully completed. this sectionAll eyes are now on the next step: connecting the TramBesòs with the TramBaix. The link between Verdaguer and Plaça Francesc Macià is a project already agreed upon by all levels of government, but which now needs to be finalized.

The future Clínic, already underway

At the southern end of this Diagonal avenue, another of Barcelona's key projects is taking shape: the future Health Campus of the Hospital Clínic. The project – formalized two years ago in an agreement signed by the Generalitat, the Consorci Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, ​​the University of Barcelona (UB), the city councils of Barcelona, ​​Hospitalet de Llobregat and Esplugues de Llobregat and the Diputación de Barcelona – is underway with the aim of being able to inaugurate the new campus in 2035. access to the city along the Diagonal.

The Citadel of Knowledge

The commitment to research is another key element driving the city's transformation in recent years. In this field, one of the key projects, which has been underway for years and has now entered its final phase, is the [project name missing]. Citadel of Knowledgewhich is intended to transform the park's surroundings into a research hub. The project, which involves the restoration of iconic structures such as the Greenhouse, the Castle of the Three Dragons, and the Umbracle, also includes the construction of the large-scale scientific complex at the site of the former Fish Market, the CSIC Bioscience Hub, and the State Library.

The waterfront

Within this research, one of the fields in which Barcelona aims to be a leader is the blue economy. The renewal of the waterfront must play a key role in this endeavor. The transformation of the Olympic Port has been completed—finished before the America's Cup sailing redevelopment—and the redevelopment of the seafront promenade between the Forum and the Mar Bella Sports Complex is underway. The creation of [the following is also in process] three new pieces of equipment such as the Barcelona Maritime Technology Park (PTMB) —a maritime technology and business laboratory—, the hub Blue Tech Port innovation and the Barcelona Sea of Science center, which aims to promote ocean culture.