Fig. 15 Valencia waterfront innovation district (Consorcio Valencia, 2007

RECONNECTING EUROPE’S WATERFRONTS: THE VALENCIAN EXPERIENCE (CONSORCIO VALENCIA, 2016)

Until recently, the La Marina de Valencia was unattractive and isolated from its adjacent neighborhoods. In 2016, the primary institution responsible for La Marina, Consorcio Valecia 2007 (CV07), released a masterplan and its strategy was to use a new approach other than the industrial type.

Instead of thinking about big investments, the Consorcio Valencia used soft tactics to provide smaller-scale interventions for the area. They used the idea “lighter, quicker, and cheaper”, and has produced successful results.

“The idea is to avoid the ghettoization of the district as an urban island that is accessible solely by car, and exclusively dedicated to selected technological companies. Instead, innovation at La Marina de Valencia is visible, accessible, and open to the public.” - Yankova, 2018

A year after the release of the masterplan, the La Marina de Valencia experienced a 80% increase in visitors, and 30% increase in profits. It turns out that residents from neighboring places and visitors really liked their experience in the newly rehabilitated La Marina de Valencia. The became a success: parents were bringing their children to skate, groups of friends visiting, and couples were attending their sunday concerts (Yankova, 2018).

Fig. 15 Valencia waterfront innovation district (Consorcio Valencia, 2007)