Bilbao
is undergoing major changes as a consequence of the launching of numerous
projects such as, for example, the development of transport infrastructures,
the cleaning up of the river, or urban development work which includes
a new waterfront.
All
these projects aim at the revitalization and modernization of the city
to prepare it for the 21st century.
This
new museum has placed Bilbao in the mainstream of major art events and
international art circuits. The opening of the emblematic building designed
by architect Frank O. Gehry took place on October 1997.
The
Conference and Concert Hall, designed by Federico Soriano and Dolores
Palacios, will provide a venue for music performances and congresses.
Bilbao attracts many tourists, but a large amounts of business is also
done through its International Exhibition Center, one of Spain's leading
exhibition centers.
The
steady increase in air traffic and the deregulation of air transport are
some of the factors that led to an expansion and modernization project
of the Bilbao airport, designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava.
Metro
Bilbao, the underground system, features lines which run along both banks
of the river, and was built using high-technology systems. The stations
were designed by the internationally acclaimed British architect Sir
Norman Foster.
Residential
and service facilities will be combined with local, inter-city and high-speed
trains, bus and underground connection and car parks. The architect is
Michael
Wildford.
The
fact that the European Software Institute (ESI) headquarters
are located in the Basque country's Technology Park within Bilbao's Metropolitan
Area has contributed to Bilbao gaining international recognition.
The
Technology Park lies on 370 acres in the town of Zamudio, in the heart
of Vizcaya in the Basque Country. More than forty companies are undertaking
technologically advanced work in the Park.
REVITALIZATION
PLAN
METROPOLITAN
BILBAO