Plaça Dolors Piera

The 22@ district is where Barcelona tries to prove it’s more than just a sun-drenched museum for Gaudí’s fever dreams. This is Sant Martí, once the 'Manchester of Catalonia,' a place of soot, sweat, and heavy industry. Today, it’s been scrubbed clean, replaced by glass-and-steel tech incubators and university campuses. In the middle of this architectural transition sits Plaça Dolors Piera, a square that doesn't care if you like it or not. It’s not here to sell you a postcard; it’s here to provide a lung for a neighborhood that’s still figuring out its soul.

Named after Dolors Piera, a revolutionary teacher and feminist who fought for secular education before being forced into exile, the square carries a weight of history that its modern design almost tries to hide. You won't find manicured rose bushes or ornate fountains here. This is urbanism at its most functional. It’s a mix of hard paving, strategic greenery, and the kind of minimalist seating that discourages loitering but invites a quick, contemplative cigarette. It’s the kind of place where the silence is only broken by the rhythmic clack of a skateboard or the distant hum of an air conditioning unit from a nearby office block.

If you’re looking for things to do in Sant Martí that involve velvet ropes or tour guides, you’re in the wrong place. Plaça Dolors Piera is a 'hidden square in Barcelona' only because most tourists are too busy choking on the fumes of La Rambla to venture this far east. But for the students of the nearby Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Poblenou campus, this is the frontline of daily life. They sit here with their laptops and cheap coffees, oblivious to the fact that they are occupying space that once housed the thrumming looms of the textile industry. There’s a certain melancholy to it, a reminder that cities are constantly eating themselves to grow something new.

Is Plaça Dolors Piera worth visiting? If you’re a fan of urban planning or you want to see how the 'Superilla' (Superblock) concept is actually playing out on the ground, then yes. It’s a masterclass in the 'New Barcelona' aesthetic—clean lines, sustainable materials, and a total lack of sentimentality. It’s a place to escape the suffocating grip of the Gothic Quarter and breathe in some actual, non-commercialized air. You come here to see the locals—the real ones, not the ones dressed in flamenco costumes for tips. You see the tech workers from the nearby startups, the academic researchers, and the occasional old-timer who remembers when this whole area smelled like grease and smoke.

The atmosphere changes with the light. In the harsh midday sun, the concrete can feel unforgiving, a stark reminder of the city’s density. But as the sun dips behind the Glòries tower, the shadows lengthen and the square softens. It becomes a communal living room. There’s no pretension here. No one is trying to 'curate an experience.' It’s just a square, named after a woman who believed in the power of the people, serving the people who are currently building the next version of this city. It’s honest, it’s a little cold, and it’s exactly what this part of Barcelona needs.