The Viladecans City Council has presented its proposal to the Generalitat's Pla de Barris with a budget of 25 million euros to act in Can Palmer, Can Sellarès, Poblat Roca, Hospital, and Viviendas del Congreso.
The Viladecans City Council has taken a strong step to renew the Ponent area of the city, in Baix Llobregat, by entering the second call of the Generalitat de Catalunya's Pla de Barris for the period 2025-2029. The project, which has a total budget of 25 million euros, will be financed equally by the Generalitat and the city council, and aims to reduce inequalities and improve the quality of life for the 6,466 residents living in the five affected neighbourhoods: Can Palmer, Can Sellarès, Poblat Roca, Hospital, and Viviendas del Congreso.
The mayor of Viladecans, Olga Morales, has highlighted that this plan is based on a structural intervention to combat social, urban, and environmental inequalities affecting this area. “This is a comprehensive action that seeks to fundamentally transform the daily lives of the residents,” she stated. The planned execution timeline is five years, with the possibility of extending up to eight if more than half of the projected actions are completed.
The Ponent neighbourhoods cover just over 33 hectares and have a net income per person of 12,864 euros, below the municipal average. To design the final 34 actions, the city council has involved citizen participation through meetings with neighbourhood associations, merchants, and entities held during last spring.
The plan is structured around three fundamental axes. In terms of physical transformations, the central piece will be the new Ateneu de les Arts de Viladecans and Casal de Barri de Ponent, with an investment of six million euros. Funds will also be allocated for the rehabilitation of facades (1.9 million), the removal of architectural barriers in residential buildings and public spaces, and the recovery of the Masia de Can Sellarès.
Regarding ecological transition, the creation of a green axis and the naturalisation of the area is planned, with a budget of 1.2 million euros, as well as improvements to the stormwater and wastewater drainage network. Additionally, climate shelters will be promoted in play areas, and aid will be provided for the installation of photovoltaic panels in both public and private buildings.
Finally, in the area of socio-community action, the construction of the Escola Bressol de Ponent stands out, with an investment of four million euros, and the creation of the Espai 360 coexistence office. The plan also includes commercial dynamisation programmes, psychological support to prevent school dropout, employment pathways, and support for dependent individuals.
This new push does not start from scratch but is seen as a continuation of the work begun between 2008 and 2018, when the first Plan de Barrios de Ponent allowed for the installation of 134 elevators and the renewal of three kilometres of drainage with an investment of 11.2 million euros. That phase also left a mark on other sectors of the city, such as Montserratina, where global interventions worth 22 million transformed the Plaza de la Constitución and allowed for the inauguration of its Casal de Barri.
With this new plan, Viladecans seeks to consolidate social cohesion and urban sustainability for the next decade. The residents of Ponent will benefit from tangible improvements in their homes, public spaces, and community services, with an execution horizon that will begin as soon as the Generalitat approves the proposal.
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