The future of Montjuïc is taking shape

But what will the future of Montjuic be? If the plans go through, their final picture should look pretty much like this: After the gallery is renovated, there should be a new mini-district with 500 public housing units; New Primary Care Center (CAP); Care center for the elderly; A new library and new space for the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC). All this goes hand in hand with the renewal of the urban plan that should calm Maria Cristina Street and improve connectivity between the neighborhoods of Poble Sec and Font de la Guatla.

As the city’s mayor, Jaume Colboni, explained, this Monday the people of Barcelona will realize the first part of this transformation at the exhibition. Between 2026 and 2029, the new Palau Multifuncional will be built – an installation of 19,500 square meters of exhibition space spread over two floors that will be installed where Palau 4 and Palau de Conferenceos now stand; A new conference center will be built at Palau d’Alfons XIII, and Palau del Vestit will be converted into a palace center An innovation for the second phase, once the centenary of the International Exhibition passes, there will be a transformation of the Metal Pavilion and the Palace of Communications.

This first section of the exhibition renovation will involve an investment of €255 million, in addition to the €35 million that it will cost to develop the areas surrounding the exhibition space. A redesign that includes the calming of Maria Cristina Street, the extension of Carrer de la Guàrdia Urbana from Rius i Taulet Street to the parallel road and the creation of a new road where Plaça de l’Univers connects Carrer Lleida with Avinguda Maria Cristina and which also continues to the Font de la Guatlla neighborhood. .

Because one of the keys to Montjuic’s future involves breaking down the boundaries that have made the city live with its back to the mountain. In this, 500 public housing units will be built on the land now occupied by Pavilion 2 of the Expo, which forms the corner between Carrer Lleida and Avinguda Parallel and which will also be surrounded by the new section of Carrer de la Guardia Urbana. A new neighbourhood, according to the plan approved by the previous Ada Colau government, should also have a new CAP for Poble-sec residents and a center for the elderly and for people with functional diversity. The timeline for all this reform is still up in the air, but Barcelona City Council indicates that it will be implemented in a balanced way with the exhibition reform.

The calming of Avinguda Maria Cristina Avenue and the regeneration of Plaza Carles Buegas – the Magic Fountain Square – should also help break down the boundaries with the mountain, where the Italian Pavilion – which was built irregularly – will end up disappearing into the green area – to create a large square extending from the Mies Fan Pavilion. Ruh Monastery to the Urban Guard Building. An arena that will contribute to the revitalization of both the new Convention Center and MNAC’s future extension to the Victoria Eugenia Pavilion, which is also expected to be completed by 2029.

Equipment is waiting

On the horizon of changes in Montjuïc – which Colboni predicted on Monday should become “a large central urban park linked to culture” – there are also two emblematic facilities such as the Casa de la Premsa and the Palau de Sports. In the first case, the project is well advanced and it is already clear that it will host the new Poble-sec library, although the timeline is uncertain. Although, as the ARA explained, the council doubts that it can be operational in 2029, Saints-Montjuïc district councilor Raquel Gil this week committed to neighbors to do everything in their power to move forward.

The future of Palau d’Esports is more uncertain. The city council has worked for years to restore it, but the large investment required to modernize it is a deterrent. This venue, which is currently in frank decline, is coveted by Poble-sec sports organizations and the live music sector, which has long been asking for equipment with a capacity halfway between Palau Sant Jordi and other small venues such as Apolo or Razzmatazz . The debate over the use of the Olympic Stadium once FC Barcelona returns to Camp Nou, and another key aspect if we really want to make the people of Barcelona own Montjuïc will be left for later: facilitating access by public transport.