Transformations of Barcelona and the Metropolitan Area: The 3 Chimneys and the New Coastal Park of Sant Adrià de Besòs

Through the winning proposals for Catalunya Media City and The 3 Chimneys Coastal Park, this session addresses the transformation of a contested post-industrial enclave in Sant Adrià de Besòs and its role within the wider metropolitan area. Marked by its industrial past, coastal condition, and ongoing debates around heritage, ecology, public space, and urban development, the site brings together questions of memory, infrastructure, and future metropolitan use, making it a meaningful setting for part of the congress debate.

Catalunya Media City transforms the former power plant into a node for audiovisual innovation, research, and public engagement, integrating universities, research centres, and creative industries, while strengthening connections between municipalities, institutions, and communities along the Besòs corridor. The 3 Chimneys Coastal Park works from the hydrological identity of the Besòs Delta, shaped by the interaction of fresh and salt water across river, shoreline, and city, using blue-green infrastructure and nature-based solutions to respond to sea-level rise, storms, erosion, droughts, and heat waves.