NEW INDUSTRIAL URBANISM

REIMAGINING ZONA FRANCA: DESIGNING A NEW INDUSTRIAL URBANISM

As urban designers, we’re rethinking how industrial zones like Zona Franca can evolve—not as isolated enclaves, but as active, integrated parts of the city. Our work focuses on transforming what is traditionally a peripheral and disconnected industrial area into a dynamic, inclusive, and future-ready urban district.

Zona Franca has long been separated—physically, socially, and functionally—from its surroundings. But with industry becoming smarter, more adaptable, and more embedded in everyday urban life, this division no longer makes sense. Our project aims to build a strategic, multi-scalar framework that repositions Zona Franca as a catalyst for regeneration—both spatially and socially.

We began with a thorough analysis of streets, public spaces, flows, and land use. We identified gaps in pedestrian connectivity, especially between industrial and residential areas, and a lack of vibrant hotspots that could generate activity throughout the day. The river—while present—is largely hidden and disconnected from the urban experience. Only 30% of its path is currently perceptible from within the site, a lost opportunity we aim to recover.

We studied industrial typologies globally to understand how to adapt them for more urban, collaborative models. This research informed three core strategies:

Hybridization of Uses: Blending industrial, residential, public, and green programs to create shared, multifunctional environments.
Clustering and Circularity: Grouping compatible uses to foster efficient resource exchange and regenerate the ecosystem.
Connectivity and Reinvention: Reimagining the central axis as a multifunctional spine—linking open spaces, green infrastructure, and public amenities through pedestrian-focused design.
In my personal proposal, I focus specifically on this central axis—transforming it into a legible, inviting sequence of spaces with varying atmospheres and materialities. From urban gardens to industrial façades, the design emphasizes a sense of rhythm and progression. I’ve chosen to place special attention on arrival points—such as the metro station—where spatial quality and clarity are crucial to user experience.
Key interventions include consolidating scattered parking into a single facility to free up ground-level space, strategically redistributing equipment to better serve the site's many actors, and introducing vertical connections from the axis to these facilities. This spatial reorganization not only enhances mobility and access, but also fosters more fluid and meaningful interactions across different urban programs.

Ultimately, what I’m proposing is not just a spatial strategy, but a cultural one: to shift Zona Franca’s identity from a disconnected industrial zone into a living urban fabric. A place where work, leisure, mobility, and ecology overlap—where the industrial city becomes a city of people again.