Barcelona to transform historic factory into social hub with 51.8 million investment by 2029

Barcelona’s city government will transform the historic La Escocesa industrial complex in the Poblenou district into a social and cultural hub by 2029, with a total investment of €51.8 million, officials announced on Tuesday.

The project, covering 11,520 square meters across seven former factory buildings dating to 1852, will include public housing, a social economy space, an agro-food laboratory, and an arts center. The city will contribute €27.2 million, with partners such as Mercabarna, the Fundació Ampans, and the Associació d’Idees Ema also involved. Mayor Jaume Collboni said the site, once a symbol of 19th-century industry, will now support entrepreneurs, emerging sectors, and social policies like elder care .

A public tender for one of the seven buildings, the Klein nave, has closed with a €2.5 million valuation; the winning bidder must rehabilitate the space for use as a solidary economy center. Collboni stated the project will create 100 direct jobs and 500 indirect ones, adding that the transformation aligns with Barcelona’s goal of inclusive growth. The complex, located in the less-developed northern section of the 22@ innovation district, was acquired by the city a decade ago under former Mayor Ada Colau to prevent luxury housing development after years of disuse and neighborhood conflicts .

In Portugal, the Matosinhos city council delivered the final 105 keys of 512 public housing units built under the national Recovery and Resilience Plan, raising the municipality’s public housing stock to 6% of its total. The €122 million investment spans six new neighborhoods. Recipients like Rita Monte, a 46-year-old mother of three, described the housing as a life-changing opportunity after a year-long wait. Ana Ferreira, 42, who had lived in substandard conditions with her two children, said the new home would provide stability and health benefits .

Meanwhile, Viana do Castelo will resume construction of its new municipal market on Sept. 1 after archaeological excavations uncovered non-religious structures from the 16th-century Convento de São Bento. The city plans to integrate the findings into a future Archaeology Hub in the Praia Norte business zone. The market, with 56 stalls, 28 commercial spaces, and 91 underground parking spots, replaces the former Coutinho building demolished in 2022 .

In Berlin, the Senate approved the reconstruction of the Britzer Garten Environmental Education Center, destroyed by fire in October 2024. The facility, which hosted up to 5,500 children annually since its 2017 opening, will be rebuilt as soon as possible, according to Environment Senator Ute Bonde, who called it “indispensable” for fostering connections to nature .