The Palace is not merely tall, but also wide and sprawling – its side wings reach out like talons into the surrounding emptiness it is not only gigantic but also aesthetically spectacular – its ‘wedding-cake’ Socialist Realist style is pompous and extravagant. It is 231 metres tall, covers a ground-area of almost 70,000 square metres (17 acres) and is surrounded by a windswept and largely empty ‘Parade Square’ measuring 240,000 square metres (59 acres). Warsaw’s Palace of Culture and Science was built between 19 as Stalin’s ‘gift’ to the Polish nation. This chapter uncovers the key issues surrounding Bilbao's transformation and puts the process in the context of capitalist globalization and the formation of globalizing cities. The case of Bilbao's revitalization has attracted significant attention as of late. The motivations of the Basque political elite to attract a Guggenheim museum go beyond the potential (and we might add, limited) urban regeneration benefits of a building, and can only be understood within the political context of the Basque Country and its relations with Spain. Applying some of the elements in the revitalization mix to most cities may be unavoidable due to rapid and acritical adoption of policy discourses from center to periphery, but expecting to replicate one city's success in another context may prove extremely hard. The chapter questions the viability of revitalization schemes based on urban megaprojects. The chapter utilizes scholarly research, official sources, and reports in the news media to support the arguments.

The narrative is based on fieldwork conducted by the author in the city of Bilbao. The chapter critically assesses the impact of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the centerpiece in the Abandoibarra scheme. This chapter outlines and explains the development of the Abandoibarra megaproject, focusing in particular on the key role of the Bilbao Ria 2000 – an innovative cross institution, public–private partnership, responsible for coordinating the transfer of land between public and private agents.

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