141 million euros should transform la Mina in the next six years
The project includes 1,100 new homes and various social amenities.
After two failed integrated plans in the 1990s and various patch-work neighbourhood projects, the second phase of the plan of transformation of La Mina involves an injection of 141 million euros between 2005 and 2010, much of which is destined for the construction of 1,100 new homes and social amenities.
The works are being undertaken by a consortium formed by the Catalonia Government, the Sant Adrià de Besòs City Council and the Barcelona City Council.
The plan for La Mina is an holistic one, supported by three main approaches:
1: Social improvements.
2. Improvements in safety and security.
3. Improvements in housing and the environment.
The La Mina Welfare and Family Councillor, Anna Simó, and Jesus Maria Canga, mayor of Sant Adrià de Besòs, explained that the main objective of the plan is to fully integrate La Mina into the life of the city. It is currently a ghetto, isolated from Barcelona's mainstream social and economic activity.
A serious problem that the neighborhood has faced since its origins in 1968 to house the shanty town dwellers within the city, has been social exclusion.
Many projects in the the first phase have sought to eradicate social exclusion (costing 32,58 million euros in five years) focusing on promoting neighbourhood community centres, retraining schemes, the creation of employment, the fight against school absenteeism and the transformation of the street environment.
With fear of crime and personal security being a major issue, a new police station was constructed in 2003 housing 100 officers. The building is situated on the edge of the district, adjacent to a new pedestrianised area.
The next phase of the plan for La Mina involves an investment of 141,12 million euros in social amenities with significant support coming from the European Union Cities in Crisis fund.
The social amenities include:
- a new library
- sport centre
- a parish church
- a nursery school
- new park
- new secondary school
- installation of lifts in 300 homes
- 400 new dwellings protected, 350 for rehousing
3.500 dwellings, the 80% protected and the 20% remainder of sale free (currently 2,750 low-rent).
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About the houses…
Where will the people live who are involved with the reform of their houses?
What will happen with the at the moment empty floors in ‘la calle Marte?
Who will buy the houses which are now for sale in the district?
Who will come to live in the new houses in the district?
New design in the district…
What colours can the fronts of the buildings be painted, now looking so boring,
old and grey?
When they do the reforms, will they put water fountains, garden centres, parking
for bicycles, advertising fences etc?
Will we have enough playgrounds for the children?
What other trees would look nice in our streets, lemon trees, and orange trees?
Would it be pretty to make a fountain that represents the origin of La Mina?
What names will the new streets have?
Where is the centre of the district now, and where will it be?
Danger, illegal sales, dirt…
How can we make a clean district?
How can we make the district safer?
How can we make sure the people become cleaner and do not throw the things by
the windows?
How can we end the illegal sales?
How can we end the use of drugs in the district?
Activities, uses of the public places…
How long will the new bins, lampposts, trees and everything else last?
How can we make sure that the Ramblas of Venus and Mars have nice places for
activities, cosy places and lots more?
Will all the neighbours use the district equally and in a clever way?
How can we make sure people in the district do use the public spaces?
How can we make sure that we respect the public places?
Will the adults and grown up people give a good example to the younger people?
What’s the park missing at the moment? Why does nobody use it now?
How can we make sure people will go to the park?
Shops etc…
Where will the supermarket, the clothes store and the bookstore be?
Why had the district become this bad? How can we improve it?
What shops will open in the Rambla?
The future…
How can we make La Mina
Is it worth waiting for the changes in La Mina?
How can we make a valuable district where we can live peacefully?
How can we make sure that after the changes the district stays peacefully if it
does?
How can we make a more civic area?
Public administration…
Does the plan of the district contain aspects like art and education? Will there
be people who aren’t allowed to use the public spaces? And if this is so, what
are the rules? Who can and who can’t?
Will the administration have to improve the cleaning?
Is it necessary that the administration work together, more and better on the
project? In this case, will there be jobs we’ll have to do as well?
Will some things still be badly organised like for example ‘el parque del
Besòs’ or ‘la sala Miralles-Pinós?’
Will we be informed about how everything is going to be improved and done?
Is the new plan of the district well programmed and suitable for the people
living there and the things a district needs?
Who will do the administration to promote the new things for the new rambla?
New things in the district…
Where will the library be?
What will happen to ‘la sala Miralles-Pinós?’
What other equipment do we need in the district, what’s missing?
Do we need any other things in the park?
View of the district…
Does the district look very bad at the moment
The information centres always give bad information of La Mina. Shouldn’t they
give some positive information?
Do the illegal sales and robbery give a bad image upon La Mina?
Connexions with the rest of the city…
Are we going to have the sea near us and will we be able to get there easily and
quickly?
When will our Rambla arrive at the sea?
We’d like to go to Diagonal Mar…can we?
When will the district be opened?
How do we make sure La Mina is also a nice part of the city where civic
neighbours will come to live, walk or work?
How can we make sure the district is an attractive place for all type of
citizens?
Will there be any public transport in the district?
Here are some opinions upon the questions which you might have seen above from
different people:
Who will come to live in the new houses?
1. People who work in the area.
2. Everybody.
3. People of the district
4. I wonder myself too!
5. Nobody knows really.
6. Normal people, people who work near or in the district.
7. Mainly the ones who were involved by the changes of the rest of the houses in
the district.
8. Is there no information yet?
9. Only people who have no where else to live
10.All type of wealthy people.
11.Poor people
What will we have in the district?
1. Trees, cars….
2. The same
3. Better or the same
4. More banks, more games, more things.
5. Games
6. More special, different things, more banks and more games.
7. I hope it will be practical and done with design.
8. Apart from the 3 banks in the cement piece which say ‘rambleta’, I do not
know.
9. If they don’t break anything will have everything
10. Banks, bins...
11. I hope it will be of quality and practical so it doesn’t need changing too
much.
12. Let us hope it’s better than now!
13. Armchairs for us to sit on…Luxury!
Where will the centre of the district be?
1. I suppose it will be at La Rambla
2. in the new Rambla.
3. In the middle.
4. La Rambla.
5. There won’t be.
6. For me it doesn’t have one, I go to other districts. I’ve lived here
30years and I’m still more out of this district a lot.
7. In La Rambla which nobody knows yet because it hasn’t been made.
8. I ignore it.
9. The centre must be the whole district.
How do we keep the district clean?
1. Throwing less litter and cleaning it more often.
2. Not throwing litter on the ground.
3. Cleaning and not throwing litter on the ground
4. Not throwing litter.
5. More bins.
6. Not throwing papers around the place.
7. More bins.
8. Getting better people to live there.
9. Use the bins!
10. Giving everybody who throws litter a bill.
11. Education, education and more education!
How to make the district safer?
1. Security.
2. Being more careful.
3. Polices around.
4. More education.
5. It has always been safe! The only problem is drugs!
6. The district is extremely safe!
7. Security.
How do we make sure most people will use the public spaces?
1. Security.
2. Cleaning.
3. They’ll just have to!
4. More squares.
5. Get some chairs.
6. Will there be public spaces?
7. A theatre.
8. More security so people feel safer.
9. Get people to learn how to share.
10. Cleaning it.
Why don’t they use the park?
1. Drugs.
2. Danger.
3. The parents didn’t let their children.
4. Fear.
5. We have to cross a highway to get there!
6. If your alone or young it is very scary!
Does the administration need to work together more effectively on the project?
1. They’re doing well.
2. They do great.
3. Absolutely.
4. Do you think they ever will?
5. Depends.
6. Yes, definitely.
7. No doubt!
8. Yep!
Of course, when you are asked how to keep the district cleaner, it’s easy to
say; ‘We need more bins’ or ‘We have to use the bins.’ All this is easy
to say but they are the people who caused all this litter!
Changes are going to be made that’s for sure but if it will help…..Who
knows!