Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The Pavelló Blau plan is designed to develop the potential of the area, fostering physical activity along the seafront between Port Vell and Port del Fòrum. This includes the full five kilometres of beaches here, which are used for nearly forty types of sports activities.

The plan is the result of a participatory process, organised by the Barcelona Municipal Sports Council through a working group made up of the various collectives in the project and their facilities, plus community centres, local residents’ groups and sports organisations.

The 200 proposals which came from the participatory process resulted in a government measure which will be rolled out in the period 2022-2030. With an initial investment of 26.7 million euros, the measure is part of the Strategic Plan on Coastal Spaces, a framework for urban, economic and environmental action. The following projects have been defined as part of the measure:

• Bringing citizens into closer contact with the sea. The coast is set to fill with sports boats and people engaging in different types of nautical sports.
• Strategic master plan for the Olympic Port. This document will see the port geared towards families and sports, as well as facilitating access for businesses and initiatives linked to the blue economy. Here you can find a report linked to the plan.
• Blue economy. Sport linked to the blue economy through activities such as construction, recycling and maintenance of recreational vessels, organisation of sports events, training for elite sportspeople and other economic activities.
• Passeig Marítim de Sant Martí. The urban revamp to the section between the Nova Mar Bella and Llevant beaches will be completed, providing continuity to the seafront and facilitating connectivity between neighbourhoods. This will include spaces for sports activity. The Nautical Base, one of the facilities where priority work will be carried out, is very close to this section.
• Plataforma Marina. This will house sports infrastructures which are to help take the strain off the rest of the seafront area. Similarly, the area will see greater connectivity between the riverbank along the Besòs, adjacent municipalities and sports activities such as walking, running, skating and cycling.
• Inverted T and connectivity with adjacent municipalities. Creation of a motor to promote sport, connecting the city with the neighbouring municipalities near the riverbank along the Besòs and some of those in the Maresme and Vallès Oriental counties.

Setting for major events and competitions prone to saturation

Reorganising urban uses and spaces in this area will help curtail saturation here, particularly at the beaches, accelerated by the pandemic and the resulting restrictions, which pushed up the volume of people choosing to pursue sport outdoors.

It is also worth bearing in mind that the coast is often the scene for sport events, some of them very big. For instance, in 2024 Barcelona will be the host for the 37^th America’s Cup, the oldest international competition in the world.