Dynamics in the built environment: renovation, gentrification and tourism. The case of la Barceloneta

Abstract

Historic centers have been historically subject of intervention policies in the pursuit of physical, economic and social regeneration. The high vulnerability of these spaces is manifested by the clashing forces of different order showing the potential conflict of land use among the different actors “consuming” the territory. Thus, to short-term effects as a result of immediate improvements caused by regeneration on usual residents, must be added the far-reaching consequences in the neighborhood generated by the arrival of new residents or gentrifiers, attracted both by the atmosphere of the neighborhood and by the results of regeneration. The historical centers also represent places of greatest interest for those visiting the city, both for short periods as for longer seasons. In summary, in these neighborhoods converge very different and even mutually exclusive uses of space: the residential function is contrasted with tourism and the whole economic sectors associated with it.

The article examines the impact of changes in the residential neighborhood of La Barceloneta in Barcelona with particular emphasis on the evolution of the housing market. The potential risks of the complex coexistence of different uses of space pointing the growing vulnerability of the neighborhood, and the need to protect the environment to ensure the right to adequate city and housing are examined.