The term “redevelopment” of a waterfront can be widely defined depending on the extensive process as well as the planning of the process. Most Port developers consider mainly the internal part of the port. They consider actions like organization and positioning of container terminals to other areas. On the other hand urbanization intends to focus on transforming the former ports for other economic activities that include tourism and recreational activities. On a general definition, redevelopment can be referred to as redesigning of ports although there is no specific definition to describe redevelopment.
It would be of great importance to understand the difference between a port and a waterfront. A port is an economic entity characterized with very distinctive features in terms of history and own image. In their book work, Jessen, Johan, meyer and others illustrate that, “They have individual geographical conditions, technical possibilities, development paths, hinterland access, property ownership patterns, and constellations of interest groups.” (53). In addition, they have specific functions for instance ship construction, military or navy actives.
Waterfronts are areas of advanced activities beyond industrialization such as recreational and tourism activities. They change cities beyond industrialization. Through redevelopment of waterfronts, different parts of the city are connected promoting the social and culture advancements and other knowledge based activities. Both waterfronts and ports are significant factors for urbanization in an area as they attract settlements around the area developing into cities.
The Olympic Games conducted in Spain in 1992 contributed greatly to the urbanization of Barcelona city. The Barcelona port is the second biggest among the industrial ports on the western part of the Mediterranean characterized with an archive of activities along the Barcelona Coast. The city constitutes a huge population and a major tourist attraction centre. Port Vell is situated within the Barcelona Port. Port Vell has been redeveloped into a recreational port with commercial activities being carried alongside the recreational ones. These contribute to the urbanization of the city. The redevelopment of Port Vell and Barcelona at large can be rooted back to the year 1992. At that time the city was awarded with an opportunity and to prepares for and host Olympic teams from all over the world for games. During the historic event, the city was able redefine itself through presenting its image to the rest of the world. According to Meyer, “A new metropolitan self-conception emerged with the urban planning of Barcelona.” (11).
The Olympic Games lead to a number of improvements in infrastructure and hence urbanization (Lucas and John, 98). The waterfront was among the major areas that that required revitalization calling for formation of a committee to supervise the renovations that were supposed to be undertaken. To start with, before the Olympic Games, Barcelona City had to undergo various improvements to provide enough space for recreational purpose. As a result, a port was developed particularly for the Olympic Games along the waterfront. The Port Vell formed the space that would bond Barcelona city and the Mediterranean Sea. The improvements that followed in preparation for the Olympic Games would have the waterfront for a new recreational centre for the residents in Barcelona (Hargreaves, John 14).
Port vell is situated between La Rambla as well as Via Laietana, the former being the most famed and eye-catching pedestrian street Barcelona City. The connection between the renowned street and Port Vell is attributed to the redevelopment of the waterfront. Into the bargain, the Spanish government constructed the highway underground linking Barcelona city and Port Vell enabling the pedestrians to gain street passing experience. It was not sufficient enough to have Port Vell activated for the purpose of having no connection between La Rambla and pier. Pedestrians were given site and access of the waterfront by pushing a highway below grade.
The pedestrian axis made Port Vell fit for success because the novelty of its location promoted movement of the many people in Barcelona. This kind of movement is associated with urbanization. The clear surface after its redevelopment facilitated the use of the port for function and leisure despite the fact that there was lack of formal partitioning of space over the bridge. The bridge Rambla de Mar has pivoting sections that make it possible to swing thereby allowing water traffic through when there is need.
Thus, Rambla street had a very crucial and fundamental role the in connecting the two. When the activation finally took place, an aquarium, a sequence of public space, a shopping area as well as iMax theater were created. This improvement saw over 75 percent of the total tourists get to Port Vell with easy for a number of purposes and reasons. This developed the tourism sector greatly.
The Activities Report indicated that:
“After crossing Rambla de Mar, people can reach Port Vell. It is the most popular port of Barcelona. Nearly 75% of all visitors come here. It has a complex with shops, cinemas, bars and restaurants called Maremagnum, Barcelona’s aquarium and an IMAX theater. Around those institutions, there are some public spaces. People can sit on a bench to enjoy the view of the port and chat with their families, lovers, and friends.” (11). The redevelopment of the Port Vell was as result of sacrificing the old port for tourism by more comprehensively attracting foreign visitors to the port. As more visitors flowed into the waterfront they promoted businesses as well as developing the city.
The Rambla Mar serves as a pedestrian street as visitors walk through the port as well as socialize since as they are able to interact. The pedestrian street is constructed in such a manner that the visitors are able to view the scenery from a raised point. A number of people are able to have their feet dangling towards the end at near the edge as there is no any obstruction from doing the same.
The redevelopment of Port Vell involved diversified urban planning with more focus on reorganization and change of activities taking place around the port such as leisure and housing. Its redevelopment embraced a complex process of rejuvenation, redesign, remodeling and connection of the city and the port. The relationship of the port and the city was exploited with skill in its aspects of redevelopment such as redirecting its end that faced the water towards La Rambla, a very famous street. An extension was then built across the harbor to meet Port Vell’s end.
Buildings standing one by one at the centre f Barcelona City contributed to the regional restructuring and hence redevelopment. The baggage handling got a new location towards the south as well as the commercial area too. A distance from the city centre, redevelopments of wholesales, an airport as well as trade shows and fairs emerged. An effective link through the rail and road characterized the Port Vell and the airport. The north part of the waterfront was also redeveloped, that is, to the north of pert vell.
Initially, the north of the port, remained dominated by fishermen as wells as Dockers tainting the region with prostitution alongside crime. After redevelopment, organized fish shops were replaced with gastronomy (Lucas and John 55). Access between the waterfront and the commercial as well as the residential regions, got difficulty due to the intensive traffic on the coats arising from the redevelopment of the waterfront at port vell. The redevelopment of the waterfront as well entailed the sanitation of the area involving the residents in massive cleaning of the city and other attractive public points.
Redevelopment shifted to the brownfield in the poblenou district characterized by business entity applying a high level of technology. The partially utilized and abandoned buildings as well as places were turned into innovation institutions. The site was portioned into several divisions that start from the centre of the city up to the northeastern. The redevelopment of the area is characterized by both cluster and single divisions and units in the Rambla and Gran Catalan to the west. In the south, the street Marita and the sea found in the east is equally divided by Avinguda Diagonal.
The ring road was aimed at easing the traffic jam in Pobleneu as well as discovers any potential for fresh developments as this would promote urbanization. River Besos on the far end of the northern part of Barcelona city became re-naturalized while the redevelopment of the waterfront at Barcelona comes to an end at border of the city. The Diaganol Mar from the 1859 Cerda plan was accomplished at the point of convergence of river Besos estuary and the sea front. The newly constructed Forum Universel was formed of the amusements park, commercial as well as residential places creating the last point. Surprisingly, Port Vell has minimal commercial orientation as compared to the culture.
Jessen states that; “Construction and redevelopment of Port Vell involved a great deal of urban planning. In this regard, various urban planners took part in the process of the port’s redevelopment.” (16). Urban development is thought to entail the transformation from industrial based activities to service industry such as tourism and recreation. This is supported by knowledge rooted economic activities that create the background for an economy. “Being unique and distinctive was always a part of the Catalan identity in Spain.” (Hargreaves, John 12).
The need to develop the city of Barcelona was the main essence of building the port because before its development the surrounding looked dull. The chaotic appearance of the environment before is establishment characterized by presence of unoccupied buildings led to the contribution of its unlikelihood in being a tourist attraction site. The planners brought the need to renovate the area so as to reduce its idle capacity. Redevelopment was important in enhancing growth of the economy through increased revenue. The need for the development of the port was triggered by the presence of unused warehouses in its surrounding.
The redevelopment of the waterfront at Port Vell has its associated advantages. Revenue increase in the city has been enhanced by the many tourist visits to the city every year due to urbanization. Port Vell is one of the important tourist attraction scenes because it attracts several visitors from across the globe. The port which is a beautiful site for both local and international viewers also acts as a harbor. Most of the advantages are attached to revenues from the tourist and recreational activities taking place at the waterfront and Port Vell in general.
Any other structure that creates tourist attraction is a source of revenue for the government of Spain. There overhead structures that provide for a sloping experience that enables one to see deep into the Port. Whenever such structure is located, there is a bridge closing the gap between people as they pass by. The bridges were made out of steel grey I color. The illumination of the waves alongside the good conditions of the bridges allows pedest6rians to pass by the place any time of the day including at night. In addition to the bridge structures being wave like, they are also able to do deckling, a technique that enables the observer to have a bird’s view of the Port Vell. There is another design in the Port of Vell that is important to note. There exists glass panels aligned bench after bench in the seating place. They act as shock absorbers or rather buffers placed on the edge of benches at Rambla del Mar and their transparency nature allows visitors to be able to capture the scenery.
Another tourist attraction feature at Port Vell is the Christopher Columbus monument. It is a major pivotal point at the far end of the Rambla constructed in the year 1929. The monument is known to present the waterfront as the Christopher Columbus points in the direction of the new world. The monument catches the attention of a majority of tourists who take a break to have a moment of photo taking session. The monument is situated at a roundabout offering an immediate confusion for the first time visitors and pedestrians (Jenifer 43).
Any research touring the waterfront at Port Vell would be interested to know the period when it receives booming numbers of visitors. Daytime is characterized with, “eating, sunbathing, sailing, shopping, going to the aquarium or a movie” (Meyer 99). The numbers rely upon the weather and the specific day of the weak. During sunny days the waterfront is full of people while during the rainy season very few people come to enjoy the scenery at the waterfront on Port Vell. Sunday carries the week with the high numbers of people visiting the waterfront as they enjoy their immediate environment. As the winter season draws close the number of people taking part in water related activities goes down.
The redevelopment of Port Vell has contributed positively to the urbanization of Barcelona City as the economy of Spain developed. Several people moved into Barcelona City with urbanization promising to secure them with jobs at the waterfront on Port Vell. The implementation of the project required extra workers, which led to an increment in the level of employment. More revenue was realized by the government in form of fees collected from tourists. This revenue was used to develop the city through various urbanization projects around Barcelona (Jessen 29). In addition, this redevelopment improved the overall beauty of the city, thereby creating better image in the global world.
The attraction of foreigners into the city was acted as one of the factors that largely intensified urbanization of the city. More non agricultural activities were introduced such as tourism and recreational activities. The activities attracted people into the city of Barcelona and thus its development. The Olympic Games event of 1992 must have played a major role in the development of the waterfront at the Port Vell. All the facilities around the port should be maintained properly to ensure that the number of tourists in the area remains high. This will continue to add up to the growing economy for the Spanish people as well as urbanization of both Barcelona and the neighborhoods.
Works Cited
Jessen, Johann, Ute M. Meyer, Jochem Schneider, and Thomas Wolf. Stadtmachen.eu: Urbanity and the Planning Culture in Europe ; Barcelona, Amsterdam, Almere, Manchester, Kopenhagen, Leipzig, Sarajevo, Zürich. Stuttgart: Krämer, 2008. Print.
Activities Report 1999-2002: Port Vell. Barcelona: Port de Barcelona, Autoritat Portuària de Barcelona, 2003. Print.
Lucas, John A. Future of the Olympic Games. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books, 1992. Print.
Meyer, Karl E, and Shareen B. Brysac. Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game. Washington, D.C: Counterpoint, 1999. Print.
Hargreaves, John. Freedom for Catalonia?: Catalan Nationalism, Spanish Identity, and the Barcelona Olympic Games. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print.
Miller, David. Athens to Athens: The Official History of the Olympic Games and the Ioc, 1894-2004. Edinburgh: Mainstream, 2003. Print.
