Return to Port Olímpic

When, in the late eighties of the last century, architects Oriol Bohigas, Josep Martorell, David Mackay and Albert Puigdomènech designed the Port Olímpic of Barcelona, they surely did not imagine that this large facility built as the venue for the sailing competitions of the 1992 Olympic Games would end up becoming a sad mix of Magaluf, Pattaya and Medellín. A crowded nightlife spot that often appears in the crime news of newspapers, with a restaurant offer that is clearly not up to the standard of a gastronomic capital like ours; a kind of no man's-land that not even the residents of the Olympic Village feel as their own (personally, I don't remember the last time I set foot there).

The decadence of the Port Olímpic is especially painful because it occupies a central position in the maritime profile that Barcelona premiered for the Olympics. A brand new port framed by some of the great icons of the dazzling Olympic Barcelona (Mapfre Tower, Hotel Arts, Frank Gehry's Golden Fish) and surrounded by two splendid urban beaches: Somorrostro and Nova Icària.

The evolution of the Port Olímpic can perfectly be a metaphor for the degradation of the city model born as a result of the Olympic Games. In '92 we premiered a modern, proud, orderly Barcelona open to the sea. A city that we proudly explained when we traveled the world to anyone who would listen. But, with the passing of the years, that cosmopolitan dream slowly turned into a nightmare, largely, let's say it all, due to the serious effects that mass tourism has brought.

That is why the challenge posed by the Barcelona City Council to Barcelona de Servicios Municipales (B:SM) is as ambitious as it is necessary: to convert the Port of Barcelona into a great nexus between the city and the sea. A large, deeply renovated area where nightlife and shoddy paellas give way to the blue economy, nautical activities, and quality gastronomy. And all of this, as it could not be otherwise at this point, with sustainability criteria and strict respect for the environment.

In 2024, the new Port Olímpic will have an exceptional debut with the celebration of the America's Cup. However, it is important that it be a long-term project that puts citizens at the center. If Barcelonians do not make it our own, if we do not have the feeling that the Port Olímpic is part of the city and that, therefore, we feel well received in it, this new project will fail. Let's not allow it to become just another tourist attraction. We have a magnificent opportunity for Barcelonians to deepen and diversify our relationship with the sea. Let's take advantage of it.

If Barcelonians do not make it our own, if we do not have the feeling that the Port Olímpic is part of the city and that, therefore, we feel well received in it, this new project will fail