ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the historic development of the South Raval and its evolution from a peripheral area of ancient Barcelona into a marginal slum in constant decay. It examines the massive urban intervention that took place after the 1992 Olympic Games and the socio-morphological changes in the urban landscape of the area. The municipal strategy of building a dense network of cultural and educational venues in the North Raval has been pivotal in channelling cultural lifestyle mobility towards the area and in opening it up to the rest of the city. Meanwhile, the South sector has seemed to be more affected by the persistence of social marginalization and petty crime. Despite interventions in its urban fabric that have provided unprecedented injections of urban glamour, the former Barrio Chino has not yet shaken off the social stigma still perceived in Barcelona's uptown neighbourhoods.
