Evolutions Every now and then the city of Barcelona undergoes miraculous transformations. In the second half of the 19th century, the creation of the Eixample area was the most important urban development of its time in Europe. It led to a new, organised city which had grown out of nothing in a few short decades. Then, with the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona underwent another lightning change, rediscovering its natural relationship with the sea through the creation of urban beaches and a whole new section of the city which had previously been no more than factories, railway lines and pollution. The city continues to change, with its sights on 2004, recovering coastal areas at the mouth of the river Bes˜s. Barcelona has made excellent use of the opportunities offered by international events to improve and develop itself.