Barcelona City Council has opened a new exhibition, 'Barcelona 2035. A City to Live In', at the Casa de l'Arquitectura. The exhibition, part of the World Capital of Architecture programme, details significant urban transformation projects planned for Barcelona and its metropolitan area.
The display aims to inform the public about current and future developments, acting as a dynamic exhibition that will be updated as projects progress. Visitors can explore large-scale city plans, including maps and three models of key projects: La Sagrera, Ciutadella Park, and the Fira de Barcelona at Montjuïc. These elements help explain the impact these transformations will have on residents' lives.
Understanding Urban Transformation
The exhibition is structured as a journey, showing how individual interventions fit into a broader city vision. It highlights how these changes will affect specific neighbourhoods and daily life. Topics covered include housing, mobility, employment, neighbourhood identity, and the sense of belonging for residents.
Major transformation areas featured include the new Marina del Prat Vermell neighbourhood and Montjuïc's evolution into a large urban and metropolitan park, complete with a renovated Fira and new public housing. The exhibition also covers the completion of the city's seafront, which will add new green spaces and facilities.
Further projects include the Ciutadella del Coneixement (Citadel of Knowledge) as a European hub for knowledge, dissemination, research, and innovation. The Tres Xemeneies (Three Chimneys) in Sant Adrià de Besòs is presented as a new centre for the audiovisual sector, alongside the transformation of the areas surrounding the future La Sagrera station.
Key Development Zones
Other significant zones include the transformation of the Vall Hebron Campus and its surrounding neighbourhoods, and the Porta Diagonal area. This area will feature the future Campus Clínic and the Bioclúster de l'Hospitalet, creating new biomedical and scientific campuses integrated into the city. Additionally, 22@Nord aims to strengthen the productive and innovation district with more housing, employment, and improved urban quality.
These extensive projects, distributed across the territory, represent a new approach to urban planning. The goal is a more liveable, prosperous, cohesive, and better-connected city. The exhibition also includes an interactive space where visitors can contribute their ideas and desires for Barcelona's future.
Complementary Architectural Displays
'Barcelona 2035. A City to Live In' complements two other exhibitions at the Casa de l'Arquitectura. These are the large-scale model 'Barcelona Plan 2026–2035' and the exhibition 'Barcelona = (Diversity + Intensity) x Complexity'. Together, they offer visitors a circular itinerary through the city's past, present, and future.
At the entrance, visitors will find an 84 m² model of Barcelona, produced using digital printing. This modular model, made of 1,204 pieces, can be updated as urban development progresses. It also incorporates augmented reality technology, making it an interactive platform to analyse and explain the city's evolution. After exploring the present, visitors can move to the mezzanine to view 'Barcelona = (Diversity + Intensity) x Complexity', which offers a unique perspective on the city through data, processes, and experiences, helping to define its current challenges. Finally, 'Barcelona 2035. A City to Live In' allows visitors to discover the specific projects addressing these challenges and how they will improve living, coexisting, moving, and working in Barcelona for years to come.
