From top-down urban planning to culturally sensitive planning? Urban renewal and artistic activism in a neo-bohemian district in Barcelona

The city of Barcelona in general and its historic center in particular have undergone a sea change from an industrial city to a global tourism and service center. Some authors argue that urban renewal schemes are ruining the heritage of cities. However, Barcelona showcases a kind of urban renewal which is culture-led yet conserves the city’s unique identity. This paper shows that in Barcelona’s case, the relationship between urban branding and urban renewal is dialectical and disputed rather than top-down and by dictate. Thus, in the case of the Raval district, the urban and cultural planning led by local government and cultural institutions is part of a concerted effort to turn a blighted area plagued by social problems into a new global cultural district. The renewal scheme brings the district’s activists and artists into the picture to come up with an inclusive, bottom-up approach to planning.