22@ - a test ground for the digital world

If you were a graffiti fan and found yourself in Barcelona in the 1990s, then the place to head was El Poblenou. Once a thriving industrial district in the 19th century, Poblenou was the ideal canvas for spray-can artists. Between 1970 and 1990, some 1300 firms closed, leaving the area littered with abandoned buildings.

Poblenou reflected the wider malaise of Barcelona. Long a cultural centre famed for imagination and innovation – think architect Antoni Gaudí, and painters Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso – the capital of Catalonia had fallen on tough times. Its economy was stagnant, unemployment rife, the harbour run down, and its beach a rubbish-filled strip lapped by dirty water.

But Barcelona seized the opportunity of the 1992 Olympics to reinvent itself. New infrastructure, revamped neighbourhoods, greener parks and a new two-kilometre sand beach opened the city to the Mediterranean Sea. The revitalisation made Barcelona a tourist must-visit destination again.

And Poblenou? It is home to 22@Barcelona, a neighbourhood buzzing with innovative startups, research centres and international businesses, and regularly touted as a textbook example of urban, economic and social renewal.

Regeneration through technology

Much of Barcelona’s renaissance has been built on IoT (internet of things) systems. Hard hit by the 2008 recession, Barcelona turned to technology to spark an economic recovery. Starting in 2012, the city deployed responsive technologies across public transport, parking, street lighting and waste management systems as part of a Smart City Barcelona plan.

For example, transitioning to a more energy-efficient LED lighting system led to cost savings. Sensors in the lampposts also identify when pedestrians are near and dim automatically if streets are empty to save energy further. More, the lampposts form part of a Wi-Fi network providing consistent, city-wide free internet access and are integrated into Sentilo, a system of 19,500 smart meter sensors that receive data on weather, pollution and noise.

IoT devices also monitor rain, humidity and soil moisture in city gardens. Using the data, gardeners remotely program the irrigation needed and deliver it via electro-valves. This has resulted in savings of approximately $555,000 per year.

For cars, Barcelona embedded sensors in the asphalt that identify whether a parking bay is occupied. Drivers are guided to spaces via ApparkB, an app that allows online payment for parking. This has reduced congestion and emissions. But the innovations continue. Smart pneumatic waste bins reduce odours. Powered by solar panels, interactive bus stops connect to the Wi-Fi network, offer USB charging stations and updates on bus locations … and there is much, much more.

Knowledge neighbourhood

In 2000, $230 million was earmarked to foster the Barcelona technology industry. Twenty-two acres of Poblenou were to be recast as an innovation district. The new name said it all. Whereas the previous zoning was 22a (industrial), the new vision was 22@ – a testing ground for the digital world.

Visit the district today and any fresh graffiti you see is probably commissioned from a renowned local artist such as El Pez or Sixeart by one of the design, energy, media and scientific research companies that now call 22@ home. The triangle formed between the oceanfront, Diagonal Street and Ciutadella Park is a hotbed of innovation. Five universities and academic institutions have a presence, and coworking spaces, incubators and startups abound.

“In the 22@ district, you’re immersed in an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship. And you constantly have the feeling that you are part of it,” says Enric Peig, Professor of the Department of Information and Communication Technologies at Pompeu Fabra University. “This means all your activities are imbued with this way of working. In addition, you have the neighbourhood life integrated, and this I think is a distinguishing feature.”

Famous firms present include Amazon, HP, T-Systems, Ricoh, Schneider Electric, and VICE Media. Sergio Ruiz, CEO of the Signaturit Group, an electronic signature company, says the decision to open in Poblenou was easy.

“You can really breathe innovation and technology here,” he explains. “22@ is a hub that allows us to connect with other technology companies and promote innovation. This allows the development of new opportunities in our business. It is the ideal ecosystem for synergies.”

Other companies have grown up in the area. Typeform, a Spanish online form-building company, was founded in 2012. Typeform now employees 300 people and has a worldwide client base.

One key to the success of 22@ has been the Barcelona Urban Lab, a government department that fast-tracks the use of public space for companies to test pilot products and services. The lab was one of the first of its kind, and many innovations rolled out throughout Barcelona were first tried in Poblenou.

One successful company is Urbiotica, which first experimented with sensors for waste management, installing them in bins along 22@ streets to measure levels in public bins and make waste collection more efficient. Worldsensing is another that has gone on to conquer the world. It piloted Fastprk, a parking system. Barcelona ultimately opted for its own ApparkB app, but Worldsensing IoT technology is now used across the construction, mining, rail and structural health industries. Barcelona’s Office for Economic Growth says 90% of startups have developed a business based on their pilot project.

It is estimated that 4500 new companies have come to Poblenou since 2000. Of these, 47% are startups, and 31% are technology or knowledge-based companies. Before COVID-19 struck, some 56,000 tech talents had been attracted to the area and an estimated 150,000 jobs were created.

But Poblenou is far from a business district where lights go out at night. Redevelopment was not to run slipshod over existing residents. Instead, the intention was to make 22@ appealing to live in. This included developing 4000 units of subsidised housing, creating new green areas, remaking streets and providing facilities for the public, such as schools and community centres.

For this, the support of the real estate sector was critical. If educated professionals, tech-savvy workers and other creatives were to be attracted, they needed office and living space. By 2011, there were 139 plans submitted for urban redevelopment, 84 from the private sector.

“What caught our eye was not just the basic economics and demographics. It was also that people want to live there, that the universities are expanding and because 22@ is increasingly regarded as a ‘smart city’,” says Eduardo de Roda, PATRIZIA Country Manager for Iberia. “We wanted to be part of that as Barcelona moves to the next level.”

PATRIZIA focuses on innovation technology in the real estate industry, so was keen to sign onto Poblenou. On behalf of clients, PATRIZIA has invested in five office and residential buildings. Two are redevelopments of old industrial space, and the goal is to create sustainable buildings reflecting the changing local environment.

“Although 22@ is one of the largest urban regeneration areas in Europe, there is still a major shortage of Grade A office stock. We aim to address that demand,” says de Roda.

Walk the streets of Poblenou and you find a lively area half bohemian and half cybernetic in character. The La Rambla del Poblenou, the promenade that cuts through the district to the sea, has been revitalised with restaurants, microbreweries and shops. In the backstreets, alternative art galleries, advertising agencies, architect firms, dance companies and designer showrooms burnish the reputation of Poblenou as Barcelona’s cool new barrio.

PATRIZIA focuses on innovation technology in the real estate industry, so was keen to sign onto Poblenou. On behalf of clients, PATRIZIA has invested in five office and residential buildings. Two are redevelopments of old industrial space, and the goal is to create sustainable buildings reflecting the changing local environment.

“Although 22@ is one of the largest urban regeneration areas in Europe, there is still a major shortage of Grade A office stock. We aim to address that demand,” says de Roda. 

Walk the streets of Poblenou and you find a lively area half bohemian and half cybernetic in character. The La Rambla del Poblenou, the promenade that cuts through the district to the sea, has been revitalised with restaurants, microbreweries and shops. In the backstreets, alternative art galleries, advertising agencies, architect firms, dance companies and designer showrooms burnish the reputation of Poblenou as Barcelona’s cool new barrio.

Leyre Soto moved to 22@ after an offer from a software development company. “Every day, I discover a change. It’s a very dynamic and emerging neighbourhood. I often feel like taking out my camera to snap pictures of its evolution.”

She loves the location by the sea, that she can ride everywhere by bike, enjoy the after-work get-togethers – where employees from different companies intermingle – and savour the architecture. 

“There’s no neighbourhood in all of Barcelona that blends classic architecture with contemporary and adapted technological buildings. I love the coexistence between the traditional and modern.”

It is certainly an eclectic mix. Modernista constructions like the tubular Torre Glòries and the Design Museum of Barcelona loom large, but there has been considerable effort to preserve the heritage. Cisco invested $30 million in developing a Co-Innovation Center in a former textile factory focused on the Internet of Everything (IoE). An artistic colony occupies Palo Alto, and the Pompeu Fabra University’s Communication Campus and the Fundació Vila Casa Museum are housed in renovated textile factories.

Ruiz says Signaturit is considering moving offices but will remain within 22@. “I have had offers closer to Barcelona centre at lower rents but have discarded them,” he says. “Our presence here helps attract talent. Employees look forward to living here. The weather, the comfort and the proximity to the sea all make 22@ a great place to work.”

Constant disruption

Few cities wear the Smart City label as proudly as Barcelona. But Barcelona is not resting on its success. November 2020 marked the 20th anniversary of the 22@ project and provided an opportunity to reassess its direction. The council is looking to opening the district to green companies. More space is earmarked for rental housing. In the original plan, the number foreseen was 9300. After the latest plans are finished, there should be around 15,800 residential apartments.

“It is the mix of uses that we like about 22@,” explains de Roda. “How the office and living spaces are revitalising the quarter to create a new, dynamic and compelling lifestyle. That’s the attraction for the creative classes and will ensure they will continue to be drawn to the area.”