The urban development of the quarter of Marina del Port in the twentieth century has its origin in the “Jaussely Plan”(1907-1917), which established a mostly industrial use of the zone and its articulation around the Zona Franca Avenue, the main connection with the city. Following the establishment of the industry in the area in the 1920s, it began to appear along the avenue small residential settlements. One of the first settlements is the so-called Plus Ultra neighbourhood, located between the channel of Carlota Joaquina and the foothills of Montjuïc.

From the time of its construction until now, the neighbourhood Plus Ultra has maintained its original structure despite not having a legal recognition.

The first houses began to be built in the 1920s without a previous plan of urbanization, although complying with the administrative requirements. This meant that the buildings could be affected by subsequent regulatory plans and that housing owners could be evicted without compensation and without the right to be relocated. The original buildings were row houses, with access from the ground floor and a backyard. At the time of their construction it was not yet fixed the layout of the streets. The development of this original settlement resulted in a small neighbourhood of about 100 homes, built on plots of 6-8 meters wide and about 15 meters deep. The buildings are located along a Y-shaped central street with a square at its centre destined to be the meeting point of the neighbourhood.

The subsequent changes have substantially modified the surroundings of the Plus Ultra quarter, making its integration to the surrounding urban fabric more difficult and increasing the threat of its complete disappearance. Faced with this situation, residents have maintained a strong resistance over the years in order to maintain the original identity of the neighbourhood.

The layout and width of the street Mare de Déu del Port is one of the main points of conflict among the different urban development plans that have affected the neighbourhood Plus Ultra. The layout of this street corresponds to the former course of the channel Carlota Joaquina. The channel was covered in 1940 to facilitate the widening of the street, following the guidelines of “Projecte d’urbanització en la zona limitada pel carrer de les Corts Catalanes, Exposició de Barcelona, Cementiri del Sud-oeste, Port Franc i Hospitalet del Llobregat” , approved in 1935. This plan envisaged increasing the width of the street Mare de Déu del Port to 15 meters, which involved the demolition of the houses located in this section of the street.

Later, the “Metropolitan General Plan” of 1976 confirms the widening of the street Mare de Déu del Port and proposes to replace the existing buildings with a new block with an inner courtyard, following the urban pattern prevalent in the area.

As the neighbourhood is considered to be “outside the building regulations”, neighbours have not been able to carry out improvements in their homes. Neither could been able to renew and maintain the streets. This has led to a gradual degradation of buildings and public spaces, and the progressive abandonment of the neighbourhood by the first generation of residents. The new residents who have arrived to the neighbourhood are mostly immigrants who live in precarious conditions. Nevertheless, the neighbours who have remained have persisted in defending the permanence of the neighbourhood Plus Ultra.

The opposition of the neighbours to the regulations of the “General Metropolitan Plan” prompted a new “Modification to the General Metropolitan Plan” adopted in 2006. This new plan preserved the buildings that overlook Aviador Ruiz de Alda, Aviador Franco and Aviador Durán streets. However, the plan insisted on expanding the width of the street Mare de Déu del Port, with the consequent demolition of the row of buildings located on this street.

The difficulties to implement the “Modification of the Metropolitan General Plan” (reallocation of neighbours affected by demolitions, economic compensations to the owners of demolished buildings) along with the unalterable resistance of the affected neighbours, left this plan without effect until today.

In the year 2000, this urban ensemble received an urban recognition as it was incorporated into the “Special plan for the protection of architectonic, historic and artistic heritage of the city of Barcelona”.

Recently, in September 2014, the City Council has approved a new “Modification to the General Metropolitan Plan” which replaces the one approved in 2006. This new amendment respects the existing urban and building structure and it gives up the project to widening the street of Mare de Déu del Port. With this plan, the City Council expects a slow recovery process of the area, led by the private sector, that will result in the progressive improvement of the existing buildings while preserving the character of the neighbourhood.

From the moment of its creation, in the decade of 1920, the neighbourhood Plus Ultra has been growing under the threat of disappearance. First buildings were built under administrative conditions that did not guarantee their legality. Successive urban planning regulation anticipated the partial or complete disappearance of the neighbourhood. Opposition from neighbours to these plans, maintained over many years, has achieved a change in the planning regulations that will preserve the buildings and the layout of the streets. The recently adopted plan will make possible the reform and modernization of the apartments, that till now were paralyzed.. Throughout this process, many residents originating from the neighbourhood moved their residence to other locations while new people have occupied dwellings, sometimes illegally. Improvement works of public spaces, carried out under the reform plan 2010-2014, by the City Council, are a first step towards the renewal of the neighbourhood.

How do the neighbours experience the changes in the neighbourhood? What are their expectations about the future transformation of the neighbourhood? Which activities will take place in the public space? How have home owners reacted to the occupation of their apartments? What are their plans on refurbishing? How have residents experienced the changes in the neighbourhood? Those who left, Do they have the intention to return? Do new neighbours wish to maintain the current lifestyle of the neighbourhood or do they wish to transform it?

In this context, the objective of PROHABIT is to look into the existence of a collective image linked to the physical structures that are preserved in the neighborhood Plus Ultra. With this purpose, the following questions arise:

•      What is the importance the inhabitants give to the conservation of the existing structures?
•      What is the value for the different groups (newcomers, immigrants, former residents) of the preservation of the existing structures?
•      What are values that inspire the urban development project that preserves the structure of the neighborhood?
•      How the neighborhood's identity will be kept in the future development of the plan?
•      Is the neighborhood Plus Ultra part of a larger structure of places with historical value?