Sants-Montjuïc · 17
Sants - Badal
Sants-Badal is the western end of old Sants: a very dense neighbourhood named after a rambla that the Badal brothers opened in 1885, beside the Riera Blanca, the border with l'Hospitalet.[1][2][3][4]
Walk along the Rambla de Badal and then step into the plaça de l'Olivereta: the rambla is a tree-lined street opened in 1885; the square is the only one in the neighbourhood and is undergoing renovation work this year.[2][5][6]
Sants-Badal was originally the westernmost end of Sants, though it has been quite detached from it for many years. It received neighbourhood status under the 2004 law; Sants itself was annexed to Barcelona in 1897.[4][1]
To the west, the Riera Blanca, under 20 m wide in many stretches, is the border with Collblanc in l'Hospitalet, and its pavements belong to one municipality or the other. To the east, the open-air Ronda del Mig was for decades a barrier towards Sants, until its cover was completed.[4]
Sants - Badal (neighbourhood 17) highlighted. Other neighbourhoods in Sants-Montjuïc: el Poble-sec, la Marina del Prat Vermell, la Marina de Port, la Font de la Guatlla, Hostafrancs, la Bordeta.
Where the name comes from
The name comes from the Rambla de Badal, opened in 1885 by the brothers Josep and Oleguer Badal, owners of a flour mill; the Badal metro station, from 1969, repeats it.[1][2][3]
Sants-Badal lies between the Riera Blanca, Avinguda de Madrid and the Rambla de Badal.[1][4]
Before the neighbourhood
In 1914 the City Council planned the stretch of the Rambla de Badal between the railway and the Sants road as an 18 m street with a row of trees on each side, and in 1970 it was widened to hold the first ring road.[2]
How the streets were made
The lower part of the neighbourhood is organised around the plaça de l'Olivereta, where several facilities cluster. The square grew from a disused factory that the City Council bought after neighbours from Carrer de Bonsoms asked for open space.[5][4]
Dates that changed it
- 1885 the brothers Josep and Oleguer Badal open the Rambla de Badal.[1][2][3]
- 1897 Sants, with Badal, is annexed to Barcelona.[4][1]
- 1914 the City Council promotes the stretch of the rambla between the railway and the Sants road, 18 m wide and tree-lined.[2]
- 1969 the Badal metro station opens.[3]
- 1970 the rambla is widened to hold the first ring road.[2]
- 2004 Sants-Badal becomes a neighbourhood of its own, separate from Sants.[4][1]
- 2026 renovation works begin on the plaça de l'Olivereta.[6]
People and collective life
Institutions
Plaça de l'Olivereta
The neighbourhood's only square, created on the site of a disused factory; several facilities stand around it and, since 2026, it is being renovated.[5][6]
Associació de Veïns de Badal, Brasil i la Bordeta
Neighbours' association that launched the neighbourhood's annual neighbourhood festival, held in June, and backed the campaign for the plaça de l'Olivereta.[5]
Struggles that left a mark
A square where a factory stood
Demand: A group of neighbours from Carrer de Bonsoms demanded open space in a dense neighbourhood.[5]
Outcome: The City Council bought a disused factory, which became the plaça de l'Olivereta.[5]
What can still be seen
What disappeared
The open-air Ronda del Mig
The open-air stretch of the Ronda del Mig, which for decades separated Sants-Badal from Sants, has disappeared under its cover, leaving a large space for leisure.[4]
The neighbourhood today
Sants-Badal had 25,243 residents in 2026, a density of 608.3 people per hectare, average census-section income of €22,539 in 2023, an area of 41.5 hectares, and 24.2% of residents held non-Spanish nationality.[8][9][10][11]
Non-Spanish nationality (2026): 24.2%
What is changing
The plaça de l'Olivereta under works
As of October 2026: renovation works began in spring, last 14 months and cost EUR 3.3 million. They will remove the level differences, plant 19 new trees, raise a 7 by 28 m pergola with photovoltaic panels and double the dog area, from 87.5 to 175 m². Completion is expected in the second quarter of 2027.[6]
Homes on the Rambla de Badal
Under the proposal presented in December 2024, 600 of the 608 homes in 44 buildings affected by the 1976 plan would be kept; only the building at Rambla de Badal 188 would remain affected. A modification of the Pla General Metropolità is needed, and its final approval was foreseen for early 2026.[7]
What the guides leave out
A border of pavements
Collblanc lies across the Riera Blanca: the border between Barcelona and l'Hospitalet is, in the City Council's words, far more virtual than real.[4]
The only square
According to a report on the neighbourhood's twentieth anniversary, the plaça de l'Olivereta is the only square in all of Sants-Badal.[5]
Read it on foot
Start: Badal (L5) · End: Carrer de la Riera Blanca[4]
Walking (excluding stop time): 13 min · 960 m · Estimated visit (with stops): 48 min
The geometry follows the pedestrian network between the three marked points, but it has not been verified as step-free. The approach from public transport is not included in the stated distance.
Sants - Badal (neighbourhood 17) highlighted. Other neighbourhoods in Sants-Montjuïc: el Poble-sec, la Marina del Prat Vermell, la Marina de Port, la Font de la Guatlla, Hostafrancs, la Bordeta.
Coordinates
Coordinates
Coordinates
Sources for this page
Dates, figures and historical claims are linked to the records used for this page.
- [1] Viquipèdia (2026). Sants-Badal. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [2] Viquipèdia (2026). Rambla de Badal. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [3] Metrópoli Abierta (2023-07-23). Este es triple origen del barrio, la rambla y la estación de Badal del metro de Barcelona. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [4] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Districte de Sants-Montjuïc (2026). Història de Sants-Badal. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [5] EL3 (2024). 20 anys de la creació del barri de Sants-Badal. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [6] betevé (2026-05-10). En marxa les obres per renovar la plaça de l'Olivereta i tornar-la al veïnat. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [7] betevé (2024-12-17). L'Ajuntament redueix al màxim el nombre d'habitatges afectats a la rambla de Badal. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [8] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2026-01-01). Padró municipal d'habitants (pad_mdbas) — població per barri. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
- [9] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2023). Renda disponible de les llars per persona. Seccions censals. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
- [10] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2021). Densitat de població per barri. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
- [11] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2026-01-01). Població per nacionalitat i sexe. Barris. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
Last reviewed: 3 October 2026 · 11 sources consulted