September and back in Barcelona–these days our very own overcrowded blend between Venice, Las Vegas, and Tijuana.
I found this recent piece by Michael Kimmelman on cities hosting the Olympics quite helpful to understand the roots of what is going on now in Barcelona and why we are squirting tourists with water pistols.
In truth, Barcelona’s makeover started years before the city bid on the Games. During the late ’70s, after the death of Spain’s dictator, Gen. Francisco Franco, civic leaders devised an urban-renewal scheme for a newly democratic, independent-minded capital of Catalonia. With a potential Olympic bid in mind, they began during the ’80s to remake Barcelona’s railway system, airport and seafront. These and other changes, accelerated by the deadline for the Games, turned the city into a wealthy European gem and tourist mecca.
But at a cost. Low-income housing gave way to luxury hotels and high-end development. It’s no coincidence that American-style suburbs began proliferating on the edges of Barcelona during the years following the Olympics, catering to families seeking more affordable homes and fleeing the mobs and mosh pits along the Ramblas and the seafront. Thousands of Barcelonians, fed up with a housing shortage, the rising cost of living and overcrowding, took to the streets this month, squirting tourists with water pistols and toting signs telling visitors: “You are not welcome.”
Another very good piece recently published on the topic is Lisa Abend’s ‘The Demand Is Unstoppable’: Can Barcelona Survive Mass Tourism?:
“Now there are drunk tourists peeing on our neighbor’s doorstep.” For anyone hoping to understand the complicated contours of overtourism in Barcelona, the Carmel Bunkers is a good place to start. The frustrations experienced by those who live nearby apply to other hot spots: residents of the Gothic Quarter who feel displaced by the crowds; pollution along the waterfront where massive cruise ships dock; and everywhere, it seems, an apparent disregard for local culture.