Barcelona’s newest seaside promenade will be ready for sea level rise

Taking into account the volatility of future climate events and integrating resilience into urban design

At the end of last week, the Barcelona municipal website presented the project for the new seaside promenade that will connect the neighbourhoods of Diagonal Mar and the Maritime Front of Poblenou and Besòs and Maresme with the beaches. Its realization will thus respond to the long-awaited renovation of the last stretch of the Barcelona coast from its unsightly industrial heritage.

The new promenade will also ensure continuity and pedestrian passage along the entire coastal stretch of the city from one end to the other. It will promote sports opportunities and recreational spaces for more residents of the Catalonian capital. And what’s especially interesting is that its design has been thought out with the idea to make the promenade resilient to sea level rise.

Future-proof urban planning

To launch this project, which includes a total of 11 hectares, the municipal government has carried out a process of citizen participation to collect the demands and requirements of the neighbourhood regarding the future of the space.

Since last October, eight sessions have been held including meetings, exploratory walks and workshops to detect shortcomings and work on solutions. One of the main consensuses has been the need to turn what has so far been a deserted place into a new human-centred and well-connected promenade. With these premises, the document of the preliminary project that has been presented today to the members of the participatory process has been elaborated.

One of the features of the new promenade is that it will be built taking into account the climate emergency. Thus, the proposal adapts to possible sea level rises and removes the two levels that currently separate the sand from the passage space to create wide descents with accessible ramps and slopes with vegetation and places to sit.

It is planned to build a pedestrian walkway of at least 12 meters. More than 800 trees and 25,000 square meters of green space will be planted and there will be a bike lane along the entire route. In addition, to dilute the intensity of activities, a second line of beach is planned with leisure and sports areas and play areas for children in it.

Once the preliminary project has been made and presented, the drafting phase to tender the works begins. That means that the transformation of the space can begin between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. It is estimated that the investment will be approximately 44.3 million euros.