By Anna Higueras, Project Manager, and Pako Rodríguez, consultant specialized in tourism. (Original publication in Spanish)

Barris que Molen (Neighborhood that Rock), the commitment to democratize tourism with positive returns for local communities led by the Ideas for Change team, has concluded its first Barcelonan experience in Fabra i Coats in the Sant Andreu District. We celebrate the closing of the initiative with the presentation of the Route for Regenerative Commerce of Sant Andreu developed by various local initiatives.

The project, which has received funding from Barcelona Activa through its annual call Impulsem el que Fas, was born with the aim of activating a process of economic regeneration through participatory tourism with local impact in the district. More than 30 entities and local agents participated in the recognition and mapping plan of the area's possibilities and resources, with a new route for responsible and regenerative tourism in the Sant Andreu District, enhancing the possibilities of the neighborhoods that make it up, as a final proposal.  

The Route for Regenerative Commerce of Sant Andreu includes 7 businesses that have integrated sustainability into their activities: bulk shops and stores, gastronomic establishments that aim to buy products as close as possible to their kitchens, a historic delicatessen that makes its own products, or the sale of biodegradable cleaning products in returnable packaging, are some of the practices proposed to visit along the route.

Who is behind Barris Que Molen

Barris que Molen (BQM) is a project conceptualized by Ideas for Change through the area of Destinations that Rock. The team is responsible for various projects in the tourism sector, such as the observatory FiturNext, which receives and analyzes hundreds of initiatives annually, seeking which of them have the greatest positive social and environmental impact or their replicability in areas such as female empowerment or accessibility.

This first edition of BQM in Sant Andreu has included the participation of various local initiatives, which have contributed their vision from the start of the project. In the initial interview phase, work was done with members of various collaborative initiatives from the XES Sant Andreu, cultural facilities like Fabra i Coats  and the team of Barcelona Activa, among others. Synergies have also been established with other regenerative tourism projects operating in other districts of the city, such as the sustainable tourism network Aethnic, or the platform Explorins, which have participated throughout the process.

In particular, the Route for Regenerative Commerce of Sant Andreu has been developed by Joshua Torres, responsible for the bulk store La Granoleta, and has received support from the Commercial Axis of Sant Andreu (which currently brings together more than 170 local businesses) and the social return co-working Sinèrgics, based in Baró de Viver. As part of the route, you can visit La Bodegueta de Sant Andreu, BioPompas, Organic Lab, Abans Morta que Senzilla, Equivalenza, La Granoleta, and the Cansaladeria Puig.

Results of the first phase

The presentation of results from the process was made during the closing at Fabra i Coats. For this occasion, the exercises carried out in the participatory workshops were analyzed in detail, and those present were shared what the main resources of the district are, what activities could be carried out, and with which organizations synergies should be generated. Likewise, it was identified what type of visitor had been characterized as part of the process: they mainly have a family profile, or are people coming from other parts of the city and the metropolitan area, who do not stay overnight in the visited area.

There was also a space for debate to analyze possible next steps: is it necessary to create a debate table? Is the resulting Route the pilot project, and should we wait for its results to develop others?

Finally, it is important to emphasize that the conclusion of the entire process is also an open and enriching debate about the opportunities that visitor economy can provide if it is directed and focused on the segments that merchants, neighbors, government and local communities consensually consider to be of interest. 

How is a Destination that Rocks like BQM developed?

Destinations that Rock are destinations that respect the principles of Regenerative Tourism (responsible, sustainable, that adds value to the local fabric), and are established through the methodology of Ideas for Change Penta-Care.

This methodology allows analyzing the territory from a local perspective, valuing the heritage resources and the different attractions of the District through the lens of its residents. The process helps to understand what I have to offer as a destination and who is the visitor I want to attract, to know what to offer them and how to approach them so that they want to visit it. 

The training and co-creation sessions held this time have helped to expand the imagery around the term 'tourism' by explaining new ways to visit a destination that are more responsible and sustainable. The entire process has been based on designing positive ideas to make Sant Andreu a sustainable, regenerative district that 'rocks' for visitors and locals.