22@ (read
vint-i-dos arrova ), also known as
22@Barcelona and
Districte de la innovació (
innovation district) is the corporative name given to a
central business district in
Barcelona's formerly industrial area of
Poblenou, in the district of
Sant Martí, nicknamed "the Catalan Manchester" in the 19th century. Its aim is to convert Poblenou into the city's technological and innovation district, as well as to increase leisure and residential spaces. It's still under construction, centered on
Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, is part of one of Europe's biggest
urban regeneration schemes, begun during the 2000s and still ongoing, spanning 115 blocks or 198,26 ha. The plan was approved in 2000 by the city council when the new 22@ land designation was introduced, replacing the 22a designation, used in industrial soil contexts.