A new comprehensive strategic plan to save the center of Barcelona from degradation and commercial desertification. This is the main demand of the main commercial axes of Ciutat Vella, which have requested an urgent meeting with the mayor of Barcelona to try to reach a consensus on a package of actions that allow preserving commercial diversity, improving mobility and accessibility to the center, reducing homelessness and begging, substantially improving cleanliness and security, avoiding population loss, and favoring quality catering establishments.
The idea is to launch a major action plan like the one carried out in the 80s, when, thanks to public-private collaboration, the center of Barcelona was rebuilt and the existing state of decadence at that time was ended. "Together we managed to rebuild a degraded space and now we find ourselves again with that reality that we had left behind. We demand that the City Council listen to us, that it open a dialogue, because we need a comprehensive reform strategic plan that allows saving the heart of the city," proclaimed this Wednesday at the Ateneu Barcelonès the representatives of Barna Centre, Amics de la Rambla, ACIB Barceloneta, Pelai Eix Comercial, Amics i Comerciants de la Plaça Reial, Porxos del Port, and Born, Artesans, comerciants, emprenedors i veïns.
With a clear desire for their demand to be central for the candidates running in the upcoming municipal elections, the seven entities have denounced "the neglect of duties" of the City Council in the management of Ciutat Vella and "the criminalization of legal and historical economic activity, repeatedly persecuted and sanctioned." This is a cry for help that comes at a critical moment, as they consider that the center of the Catalan capital "is increasingly close to desertification" and suffers a "situation of degradation and decadence not seen since the 70s."
"The city center is commercially devastated," denounced Núria Raja, representative of Barna Centre and owner of the Raima stationery store. "On Comtal street, 60% of businesses are already souvenir shops, and the same happens on Portaferrissa and Ferran streets. We are experiencing a situation that Barcelona does not deserve, we need an urban center with diverse shops and to fight to preserve differentiated commerce," emphasized Raja.
The seven entities of Ciutat Vella have been detailing the various problems suffered by the district and have warned that the situation will worsen as a consequence of the growing restrictions that hinder mobility and vehicle circulation. In this regard, they hope to reverse the works on Via Laietana, as they will make it difficult for Barcelonans to reach the sea, something totally "incoherent" with the upcoming celebration of the America's Cup. "With this reform, parking in the Cathedral parking lot will become an ordeal; it is unacceptable," denounced Gabriel Jené, from Pelai Eix Comercial.
Núria Raja: "We are experiencing a situation that Barcelona does not deserve, we need an urban center with diverse shops and to fight to preserve differentiated commerce"Also have branded the increase in destitution and begging as "unsustainable", with more than 1,200 people sleeping on the street. Another element that causes them despair is the worsening of the cleaning service and the increase in the feeling of insecurity. "Barcelona is the city with the most robberies with violence and intimidation in Spain", Laura has assertedOdriozola, from Barceloneta. According to the figures he has provided, the Ministry of Interior has counted 9,641 cases up to the third quarter of 2022, which represents an increase of 30%.
Odriozola believes that repeat offenders "act with total impunity against residents, businesses, and tourists" and has assured that those affected by thefts no longer even file a complaint due to the long queues at police stations or because those reported declare themselves insolvent after the trial "and do not serve any sentence." "We need a plan to stop violence and the proliferation of narcotics like fentanyl, which has already reached Barcelona. We must reduce the danger of our city," he stressed, not without demanding a greater presence of the Guardia Urbana and the Mossos d'Esquadra on the streets. "It is necessary for agents to patrol and walk the neighborhoods," they demand.
Finally, the commercial areas of Ciutat Vella have asked that "the terraces stop being criminalized" and the restrictions on licenses, since this situation will result in greater incivility and more street drinking. The president of Amics de la Rambla, Fermín Villar, has also lamented the few aids that the Administration offers to homeowners in Ciutat Vella to cover the substantial investments necessary to rehabilitate the properties. "The aids are totally insufficient, which causes many owners not to be able to face these expenses and end up selling their home and leaving the neighborhood. Having an apartment in Ciutat Vella is not for millionaires, it can mean quite the opposite. If we want to save Barcelona, we must start by saving the heart of the city," concluded an energetic Villar.