The plan for Terrassa’s District 2 has boosted social inclusion in a neighbourhood which faced a high risk of conflict given the rapid influx of immigrants it had experienced, which jeopardised civic order. The plan, supported by the regional urban regeneration programme, integrated social actions and urban renewal in a single transformation process, reducing the district’s segregation from the rest of the city and improving its reputation for tension and conflict. The plan was carried out with high level of citizen participation and adopted a transversal approach among different municipal services.

Executive summary

The aim of the neighbourhood plan of District 2 of Terrassa (214 000 inhabitants) was the overall improvement of the neighbourhood to address urban and social issues. Its origin was the high potential for conflict and tension that stemmed from the fact that more than 30% of population of 17 000 had moved (mainly from rural areas of Morocco) within a short period into a poor neighbourhood. €27 million was allocated to the plan, which was executed between 2005 and 2011. The Neighbourhood Law of the regional government (Generalitat de Catalunya) was the framework and the instrument for neighbourhood regeneration. The plan addressed the physical improvement of streets and squares and, simultaneously, reduced social conflicts through mediation among different groups. The resolution of conflicts through communication with the affected people was a main result of the plan. A particularly important in initiative was the creation and consolidation of householders’ communities, which promote respect for the rules of coexistence. The improvement of Barcelona Avenue, the main street that connects the neighbourhood of Ca n'Anglada with the rest of the city, was also very significant. There were various programmes for young people, elderly people, unemployed people and children. A big boost was given to associations and neighbourhood groups, as well as support for small businesses in the district. The participation of citizens in the plan has been one of the main axes of this intervention. Municipal services worked in a common network to achieve greater effectiveness and impact. The lessons of the plan have been applied to other urban interventions. The economic crisis and its worsening impact on evictions and unemployment have had very negative effects on the achievements of the plan.

District 2 and in particular the neighbourhood of Ca n'Anglada has become a diverse and multicultural area, with a dense associative life, and full of small shops and young people who want to improve their lives as citizens and as neighbours. The plan has created the foundations for this neighbourhood to become a real space to exercise citizenship, and to rise above ethnic and cultural differences.

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