Contribution short abstract

This work examines how the 37th America’s Cup is reshaping Barcelona’s seafront, using a blue and climate justice lens to highlight growing tensions between economic interests and citizens’ rights to coastal space.

Contribution long abstract

Barcelona has undergone continuous transformations along its waterfront, and the 1992 Olympic Games marked a turning point in its relationship with the sea. This urban milestone symbolized the city's opening to the sea, transforming previously marginalized areas into accessible public spaces. However, in recent years, growing tensions have emerged between economic and industrial interests and citizens' demands for equitable access and participation in coastal governance. Processes of privatization, elitism, and touristification, exacerbated by climate change, have deepened socio-spatial inequalities, particularly affecting traditional communities like the Barceloneta neighborhood. This article examines these dynamics from the perspective of blue and climate justice, focusing on the 37th America's Cup (Barcelona, 2024) as a critical case study. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, it analyzes how the event catalyzed new urban reforms and sparked citizen mobilizations in defense of coastal commons. The study argues that the America's Cup represents both a symptom and a trigger for broader conflicts about who benefits and who is displaced by contemporary coastal development. By centering the voices and strategies of local residents, the article explores pathways toward more just, inclusive, and environmentally grounded approaches to urban coastal policy and collective empowerment, while also engaging with ideas of degrowth as a framework to envision more livable and sustainable coastal cities.