The redevelopment of the Port Vell Marina in Barcelona: a case study of the role of city branding in urban governance

Abstract

In 2011 the concession on the Marina in the Port Vell area of the port of Barcelona was bought by a British insurance company, Salamanca Group. With the backing of the municipal authorities in Barcelona, Salamanca Group unveiled plans to reequip the marina so that it could specialise in the berthing and maintenance of superyachts- the biggest and most expensive privately owned yachts in the world. This development would require significant changes to the Port Vell area that would have a strong impact on the resident population of the areas neighbouring the port. In spite of this there was little or no process of consultation. This paper argues that the process by which the redevelopment of the Port Vell marina was conceived, approved and executed provides a exemplary illustration of the dynamics of city branding that have come to dominate the governance of Barcelona in particular and the entrepreneurial city more generally. These dynamics will be analysed using the redevelopment of the Marina as a case study.