The strong presence of the port now divides and isolates the local communities of Pasaia from the sea. Our challenge was to reconnect the people with its bay by creating a plan that helps them to benefit of an extraordinary environmental value and a new socio-economic fabric.

West 8’s competition entry for the design of the Bay of Pasaia, is based on creating a new heart: a maritime cluster, true to its tradition, an evolution of its recent industrial history. Culture, innovation and new economies form the basis for the urban regeneration, respecting the diversity of identities of the communities as well as their maritime tradition.

Enhanced connectivity between the different towns around the bay and accessibility between these communities and the sea are focal points of the plan. A grand boulevard and new forms of public transportation can make this possible.

The gold of Pasaia lies in its bay. Its urban regeneration will make Pasaia glitter with the intensity that this unique place, marked by its strong identity, landscape and history, deserves.