The Clínic-University of Barcelona (UB) Health Campus is entering a decisive phase in its development with the approval of the preliminary Urban Development Master Plan (PDU) and the confirmation that the future UB Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences will be located in Esplugues de Llobregat as part of the future complex.
These two developments were discussed today during the meeting of the General Council of the Porta Diagonal-Clínic Campus Consortium, the coordinating body that brings together the nine institutions involved in this strategic project of national significance, which will transform the southern gateway to Barcelona into an international benchmark in healthcare, research and education.
The General Council meeting was held at Espai Corberó in Esplugues de Llobregat and was chaired by the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, accompanied by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero; the Minister of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque; the Minister of Health, Olga Pané; the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat; the Secretary General of the Presidency, Eva Giménez; the Secretary General for Research and Universities, Oriol Escardíbul; and representatives of the other consortium members. Participants also included the mayors of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, David Quirós, and Esplugues de Llobregat, Eduard Sanz; Barcelona City Council’s Councillor for Sports, David Escudé; the Rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Guàrdia; the Medical Director of Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Antoni Castells; the Director of the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut), Alfredo García; and the Vice-President of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), Damià Calvet, among others.
The preliminary Urban Development Master Plan marks a major step forward in territorial and urban planning
One of the key issues addressed during the session was the preliminary PDU document. This planning framework defines the main guidelines for a comprehensive transformation designed to reconnect urban areas and create greener, more people-centred infrastructure. It covers a 69.5-hectare area located at the meeting point of Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Esplugues de Llobregat, overcoming administrative boundaries and addressing planning on a joint basis in order to provide a coherent response to the area's major urban development challenges.
The preliminary plan includes the construction of new state-of-the-art healthcare and research facilities and presents an opportunity to transform an area currently fragmented and constrained by major infrastructure into a new metropolitan hub. As a result, this space will no longer be conceived as an urban boundary but as a new district focused on healthcare, research, housing and economic activity.
The proposed framework is based on a model structured around three strategic pillars. First, it promotes a mixed-use urban environment, creating a compact and environmentally efficient city that combines residential, business and tertiary activities in order to sustain activity beyond healthcare functions and support local commerce. Specifically, a minimum of 63% of the total floor area within the development will be allocated to healthcare, education and research activities; approximately 23% will be dedicated to business activity; up to 10% will be reserved for housing; and the remaining 4% will be allocated to local community facilities.
Sustainable mobility is another cornerstone of the project. High-capacity public transport will be prioritised through the new Metro Line 3 station, together with active mobility for pedestrians and cyclists, while the existing express roads will be transformed into more user-friendly metropolitan avenues. In addition, the model includes a reorganisation of infrastructure through the rationalisation of the transport interchange between Avinguda Diagonal and the Ronda de Dalt to improve connectivity between municipalities, as well as the relocation and undergrounding of the Collblanc electrical substation to free up urban land.
With regard to the campus itself, the development of the preliminary PDU has enabled a significant increase in the area allocated to the project. From the 10 hectares originally envisaged under the initial planning criteria, the area has expanded to a total of 12.7 hectares dedicated to facilities and supporting activities. The main campus will comprise approximately 380,000 square metres of gross floor area devoted to healthcare, education and research activities, including the UB Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, together with up to 120,000 square metres of complementary space. This may include accommodation for researchers and medical residents, support facilities for campus activities and services for users such as catering facilities.
The allocation of up to 90,000 square metres of residential floor area will allow the construction of approximately 1,125 homes. The commitment is that 50% of these homes will be affordable and social housing. Most of this housing stock, around 800 homes, will be located in L’Hospitalet, while the remainder will be built in Barcelona, ensuring that the new metropolitan hub has a resident population and activity throughout the day.
The planning framework also includes three major interconnected green spaces: the extension of Rambla de Finestrelles, the new park along Collblanc Road and the enlargement of Can Rigal Park. These areas will function as ecological corridors linking the Collserola Natural Park with the city while incorporating community facilities for surrounding neighbourhoods. Altogether, the green areas will cover approximately 22 hectares.
An urban planning proposal designed to meet the needs of the participating municipalities
Barcelona (36% of the total land area)
The main goal in Barcelona is the definitive urban integration of a historically fragmented area. The establishment of the campus along Avinguda Diagonal will transform what is currently an urban boundary shaped by major infrastructure into a metropolitan gateway for health and knowledge.
This intervention will improve connectivity at the junction between Avinguda Diagonal and the Ronda de Dalt by rationalising these transport corridors and transforming them into more integrated and user-friendly metropolitan avenues. These improvements will facilitate connections between surrounding neighbourhoods while creating a new urban gateway at the entrance to Barcelona.
At the same time, new land will be made available for housing, enabling the construction of around 325 homes. The green infrastructure will be fully integrated, linking Cervantes Park with the network of open spaces within the campus.
L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (34% of the total land area)
In L’Hospitalet, the development of the Clínic-UB Health Campus is seen as a strategic opportunity to drive the municipality’s urban, economic and social transformation. The project will consolidate the city as one of southern Europe’s leading biomedical and healthcare innovation hubs.
Once the new campus becomes operational, L’Hospitalet will be home to two internationally renowned university hospitals, Bellvitge University Hospital and the new Clínic, as well as a Faculty of Medicine with two campuses. In addition, residents of the Samontà neighbourhoods will gain access to a new referral hospital in L’Hospitalet. This represents one of the project’s main social benefits for the municipality.
Regarding the diversification of activities and land uses, the PDU will increase the floor area allocated to business activity in L’Hospitalet while reducing the planned number of homes to 800, of which 400 will be affordable public housing.
This approach will strengthen productive and tertiary activities linked to healthcare, research, innovation and advanced services, with the aim of generating highly skilled employment and attracting investment while promoting a more balanced development model.
The project will also significantly expand green spaces through the creation of a large new park near Collblanc Road, the extension of Rambla de Finestrelles as a green and civic corridor reaching Collserola, and the enlargement of Can Rigal Park to strengthen the continuity of metropolitan green corridors.
The development will also include new neighbourhood facilities, the relocation and undergrounding of the Collblanc electrical substation to improve urban integration, and the modernisation and reorganisation of municipal sports facilities.
Esplugues de Llobregat (30% of the total land area)
In Esplugues, the transformation of the transport interchange between Avinguda Diagonal and the Ronda de Dalt will overcome the barrier effect created by this infrastructure and strengthen urban connectivity with Barcelona.
The intervention will transform Avinguda Diagonal into a major metropolitan boulevard, integrate the Ronda de Dalt into the urban fabric and extend Rambla de Finestrelles to Collblanc Road, creating a new civic corridor that will improve walking and cycling conditions as well as connectivity between neighbourhoods and municipalities.
Furthermore, the urban integration of the interchange will facilitate the creation of new spaces for facilities and activities related to healthcare, research and innovation. It will also enable the future expansion of Sant Joan de Déu Hospital and strengthen links between this healthcare institution, the future Clínic-UB Health Campus and nearby university facilities, consolidating the area as one of the country’s leading biomedical and knowledge hubs.
At the same time, the planned extension of Metro Line 3 will provide the municipality with two new metro stations: Nou Hospital Clínic/Sant Joan de Déu and Esplugues Centre.
Public participation process and Urban Development Master Plan timeline
Following approval of the preliminary PDU, a public participation process will now begin and run from September to December, with the objective of gathering contributions that will help improve the document’s urban, environmental, functional and social integration before its initial approval.
The process will include three in-person deliberative sessions, one in Barcelona, one in L’Hospitalet and one in Esplugues, together with digital participation channels and a final feedback session presenting a report on the contributions received and how they have been addressed.
In parallel, an exhibition will be organised at Finestrelles Shopping Centre, together with other initiatives to enable citizens to learn first-hand about the details of the project.
The expectation is that the Urban Development Master Plan will receive initial approval during the first half of 2027 and final approval at the beginning of 2028.
The Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences: a hub for education and innovation in Esplugues
Another major outcome of the General Council meeting was the confirmation of plans for the new UB Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, which will leave behind facilities that are now 70 years old and outdated in order to lead education and innovation from its future home in Esplugues.
The preliminary PDU locates the faculty on a site of approximately 12,000 square metres at Carrer Sant Mateu 2-6 and 8. This strategic location will allow it to coexist with the Clínic-UB Health Campus, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Barcelona Science Park and leading hospitals such as Sant Joan de Déu.
This proximity will strengthen synergies between education, research, healthcare and industry, consolidating one of southern Europe’s leading biomedical and life sciences hubs.
The project will increase the faculty’s capacity by 30%, reaching 3,000 students, in response to the strong demand for pharmacy professionals, a field that records a 95% employment rate three years after graduation.
At the same time, it will enhance the research capacity of an institution with more than 150 years of history that already generates almost 20% of the University of Barcelona’s patent applications and enjoys international recognition, ranking 27th worldwide in the Shanghai Ranking for its field.
The new faculty will represent an estimated investment of approximately €152 million. It will be financed through the agreement reached between the Government of Catalonia and the University of Barcelona in January, which provides for the acquisition of the current Diagonal sports grounds for €135.25 million, together with a direct government grant of up to €17.5 million to support construction of the new facility.
The agreement also foresees the transfer of the land free of charge by Esplugues City Council to the University of Barcelona during the first quarter of 2027.
According to the planned timetable, construction will begin at the end of 2029 and the new building will become operational during the 2032-2033 academic year. It will provide approximately 35,000 square metres of gross floor area and will be designed according to principles of sustainability and digitalisation while embracing the One Health approach, which integrates human, animal and environmental health.
The campus moves closer to opening in 2035
In parallel, the consortium continues to work on the remaining initiatives required to make the future Clínic-UB Health Campus a reality.
In this regard, an international architectural competition will be launched in the coming weeks to select the team responsible for designing the new campus. The goal is to attract the best architectural proposals from around the world, coinciding with Barcelona’s designation as World Capital of Architecture.
Progress has also been made on the development of the functional and spatial plan, the document that will define healthcare, education and research requirements and serve as the basis for the architectural development of the future campus.
The timeline also maintains the forecast that urban development works in the surrounding area will begin during the second half of 2028, in coordination with site preparation activities required ahead of the start of campus construction in 2030.
With an estimated overall investment of €1.7 billion, the project timetable continues to target 2035 for the opening of the new Clínic-UB Health Campus, coinciding with the inauguration of the new metro station that will serve the complex.
