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Fernández-Ges, Andrés.

19. Expo site after the 2008 exhibition

The International Exhibition was held from 14th June to 14th September 2008. The event had less
national and international impact that foreseen with only 5,6 million visitors when it was foreseen to
have more than 7 million visitors.
But the event had a deep impact in the proud and illusion of the citizens. Many people thought that
the city was not going be able to handle such an event, but it could, for the first time in its history. The
Expo showed to the people of Zaragoza that it could be possible. This feeling could be checked in the
comments and press of those days.
Expo and the Accompanying Plan, that coordinated many of the collateral actions brought a lot of works
and infrastructures that the city was waiting for years, such as the river banks of the Ebro, the Green
Ring, the third and fourth road rings, a new airport and and the first commuter train line, among others.
The city had a plan for the day after, but just one day after the Expo finished, Lehman Brothers announced
their bankruptcy and started the economic crisis. All the projects and works planned after the Expo were
paralyzed. The city had a great credit debt for their percentage in the Expo works and it was not capable
to execute new actions.
Expo site were planned to be a business park, being a part of the new CBD of the city, together with
the Digital Mile. But the park sold very few offices and had to change the scheduled uses. The National
Government left the consortium and a new company was created for the management of the park, Expo
Zaragoza Empresarial, with a 98 percent of the Regional Government and a 2 percent of the City Council.
The conversion of the pavilions to business offices finished at December 2010. Almost no one office
was sold or rented. The spaces were mainly occupied by Regional Government departments and
the City of Justice. There were around 1.500 workers in the area by 2015, but many of the Expo
landmarks are not in use, as the Bridge Pavilion, Spanish Pavilion, Aragon Pavilion and the Water
Tower, mainly due to a tax problem between the City and the Regional Government. The Bridge
Pavilion is only opened for pedestrian use some times during the year. The most used spaces of
the area are the Water Park or Parque del Agua and the riverfronts, for leisure activities.

Fig 30. Scheme of uses in Expo Empresarial, post-Expo business park. Source: Pablo de la Cal

200 360.revista de alta velocidad