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Remaking Cities Congress Pittsburgh, PA October 16-18, 2013
Remaking Cities Congress Pittsburgh, PA October 16-18, 2013
Bilbao’s Transformation The strategy, the process and the results so far
Pittsburgh, Remaking Cities Congress, October 2013
Juan Alayo – Development Planning Director – BILBAO Ría 2000
INTRODUCTION
• Location and context • The Industrial Past • Keys to Bilbao’s Change • Indicators of socio-economic change • Some considerations
Presentation structure
Location and Context
Bizkaia
Metropolitan Bilbao
CONTEXT Location and Population
Basque Country
Bilbao
• Metropolitan Bilbao 900.000 • Basque Country 2.100.000 • Spain 43.000.000
CONTEXT Effective Catchment Area
CONTEXT A dense city along the river
The Industrial Past
THE PAST From trade in the XVI Century
THE PAST To a rich industrial region in the XIX and XX
THE PAST Large scale industrial presence
THE PAST
• Pollution, Obsolesence • Disjointed urban structures • Unemployment, crisis…
The crisis and the legacy
THE PAST
• Disjointed urban structures • A metropoly without urban bridges
The crisis and the legacy
THE PAST And in 1983, the floods…
Key’s to Bilbao’s Change: • A crisis as a starting point • A realistic and detailed strategic plan • Substantial and continued investment • An innovative regeneration model • Some good luck
A crisis as a starting point
KEYS
• Large, flat brownfield sites by the river • Also a greater disposition to collaborate • And, in this case, strong leadership
A crisis brings opportunities
KEYS
• Large, flat brownfield sites by the river
A crisis brings opportunities
A Strategic Plan
KEYS
• Based on a broad consensus • Four key lines of action
– Urban and environmental regeneration – External accessibility - internal mobility – Technology and human resources – Cultural centrality
A Strategic Plan
Sustained investment
THE CHANGE
• Cleaning the river: long term investment 900m euros
Urban and Environmental regeneration
THE CHANGE Urban and Environmental regeneration
THE CHANGE Rehabilitation of Historic Centre
THE CHANGE
• New water fronts • New residential areas
Urban and Environmental regeneration
THE CHANGE
• New water fronts • New residential areas
Urban and Environmental regeneration
THE CHANGE
• Outer Harbour
Improving external and internal accessibility
THE CHANGE
• Airport, Metro, Tram, Footbridges
Improving external and internal accessibility
THE CHANGE
• Airport, Metro, Tram, Footbridges
Improving external and internal accessibility
THE CHANGE
• New Bridges
Improving external and internal accessibility
THE CHANGE
• Compact steelworks • Technological Parks
Investing in technology
THE CHANGE
• The icon: The Bilbao Guggenheim
Cultural centrality
THE CHANGE
• But not the only thing: Conference Centre, Public Art…
Cultural centrality
KEYS
• In the region of €10bn over the last 20/25 years • Completed the main projects of the Strategic Plan
Sustained and substantial investment
KEYS
• Zorrozaure (Zaha Hadid) • Garellano (Richard Rogers)
And more to come
Innovative Instrument for Complex Urban Regeneration Projects
BILBAO Ría 2000
BR2000
• Set up in November 1992 – To regenerate degraded or disused
industrial sites within the Metropolitan Bilbao, coordinating and undertaking developments that integrate urban design, transport infrastructure and the environment.
– In practice: to deal with complex sites that require coordination with a variety of administrations and public sector entities.
Objectives and scope
BR2000
• Public – public partnership • Self funding (capturing added value) • Non-profit • Manage whole regeneration process • Investment to date 1.3 bn €
Key facts
BR2000 Flagship Project - Abandoibarra
• 350.000 m2 • 200,000 m2 green and open space • 800 new dwellings • Office Tower • Shopping Center • Hotel • Paraninfo University of Basque country • Library of Deusto University
January 1992 June 2011
BR2000 Projects - Abandoibarra
BR2000 Projects - Ametzola • 110.000 m2
• 900 dwellings
• 36.000 m2 park • Covering existing railways • Underground car park for existing residents • Pneumatic rubbish collection system
June 1994 March 2009
BR2000 Projects - Ametzola
BR2000 Projects – Barakaldo
June 1998 October 2007
• 500.000 m2
• 200.000 m2 of green and open spaces
• 2.200 dwellings (500 Public protection) • Shopping and leisure center • Zone of economic activities • Football stadium • Sport center • Northern ring road • New streets • Pneumatic rubbish collection system • Rehabilitation of old industrial buildings
BR2000 Projects – Barakaldo
And…
Some good luck
LUCK • Based on a solid business case • Financed 50/50 by Basque and Provincial
Governments • Exceeded all expectations: About 1 million
visitors per year • Paid for itself in 8 years • A great effort and a lucky one
The Guggenheim and its effect
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
80 85 90 95 00 05
BFONSOvernight stays of Foreign Visitors in the province of Biscay (monthly data, from Jan 1980 to Dec 2008)
Source: Professor Beatriz Plaza, Faculty of Economics. University of the Basque Country. [email protected]
The Icon
LUCK
• Not the only cultural investment in town
• It accounted for a very small percentage of total investment
• It had tremendous local opposition throughout planning and construction
The Guggenheim
But…
Socio-economic Change
Economy
• Very different to the rest of Spain – Industrial Sector 30% vs 18% – Tourism & Construction: 12% vs 21% – Basque Country is net exporter
• Human Capital – 32% of population with higher education (48% higher) – Highest rate of graduates in science and technology
• Productivity and R&D – R&D investment 2.1% of GDP (50% higher) – Top region in productivity within Spain (28% higher) – Advanced Technology Centres
• GDP per head – Highest in Spain (34% above average) – In PPS terms, within top 10% in Europe
The Basque Country’s characteristics
Year 1994 2012
Total Visitors to Bilbao 24,302 734,215 Congress Events 88 1,105
Congress Participants 18,817 179,914 Air Passengers 1,4 M 4,2 M
CHANGE Tourism as a new economic sector
• From not existent, to > 5% of the local economy
• High level visitors
• 10 times growth in Congress activity • 3 times growth airport traffic
CHANGE A New Stage of Development
Special considerations
Thoughts
• Socio-economic crisis and crucial political and institutional changes: – Late 70s crisis coinciding with the advent
of democracy in Spain – New regional powers
• The Provincial Government is the Tax Authority – Providing a strong financial basis for the
region – Local planning of key investments
Bilbao’s special circumstances
End of Presentation
Thank you
Contact Details BR2000
Juan Álvaro Alayo Azcárate Development Planning Director BILBAO Ría 2000 J.M.ª Olábarri, 4 – planta C 48001 BILBAO Tel. +34 94 661 500 Email [email protected] Web www.bilbaoria2000.org
