The Bay of Pasaia was once an attractive, natural estuary for the River Oiastzun but over time the areas around the bay have been transformed into large, man-made sites for shipyards, warehouses and for the storage of materials. The draft masterplan proposes to break down this artificial land, returning the waterfront sites to their natural state. It is premised on five planning concepts:
(1) Revealing the water and transforming the present sites to a hybrid state that allows for new development while improving drainage, water quality and biodiversity
(2) Making waterfront parks and open spaces that are linked into a wider network of parks and routes around the bay, such as the Camino de Santiago
(3) Re-establishing connections between the site and its surrounding context by road, rail and boat
(4) Strengthening the existing neighbourhoods around the bay, by also reflecting their distinctly different identities, architectures, public spaces, streetscapes and relationships to the coastline
(5) Building on local know-how to establish an accompanying cultural renewal and branding the site's future in a solid base of marine and energy technology, gastronomy and fashion through Paco Rabanne’s label.
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The Bay of Pasaia was once an attractive, natural estuary for the River Oiastzun but over time the areas around the bay have been transformed into large, man-made sites for shipyards, warehouses and for the storage of materials. The draft masterplan proposes to break down this artificial land, returning the waterfront sites to their natural state. It is premised on five planning concepts:
(1) Revealing the water and transforming the present sites to a hybrid state that allows for new development while improving drainage, water quality and biodiversity
(2) Making waterfront parks and open spaces that are linked into a wider network of parks and routes around the bay, such as the Camino de Santiago
(3) Re-establishing connections between the site and its surrounding context by road, rail and boat
(4) Strengthening the existing neighbourhoods around the bay, by also reflecting their distinctly different identities, architectures, public spaces, streetscapes and relationships to the coastline
(5) Building on local know-how to establish an accompanying cultural renewal and branding the site's future in a solid base of marine and energy technology, gastronomy and fashion through Paco Rabanne’s label.
The construction of a new harbour outside the bay (planned for 2011 – 2020) will release approximately 70ha of prime waterfront land around the bay. Due to the complexity of the area, to its position on the sea front and to the relationship between the existing urban centres that belong to four different municipalities, a masterplan is required to contain the reflections and development guidelines common to the entire area surrounding the bay.
Proposals in the masterplan for social-economic regeneration include bringing new, clean industries to the waterfront that can combine with and draw upon local knowledge, culture and expertise that already exist on the site. Combining university facilities, research departments and local businesses will seed further growth and start to build a character to the place.
The result is a cleaner, more sustainable and healthier urban environment set within a network of parks and open spaces around the bay. The area would become a highly attractive place to live and work for people of all ages, close to the water and to the hills. This is the true significance of the site's value, lying at the centre of the Bayonne-San Sebastian Eurocity conurbation.
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