"From industrial powerhouse to post-industrial cultural and tourist destination, through a devastating industrial and socio-economic crisis. The keys to the transformation, the actors, the amount of investment and sources of funding, the successes (and some not so good investments) and a description of an “innovative tool” for urban regeneration, BILBAO Ría 2000, where I was development planning director for 8 years, how it was set up, how it operated, how it funded itself and the projects developed. "

"Juan Alayo has been studying cities for the last 25 years. After graduating in Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Navarra, Spain, and obtaining an MSc in Advanced Architectural Studies (Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London), he started his professional career as a researcher at University College London, analyzing urban form and how people used it. He then worked at Ove Arup and Partners International for 15 years. Based at the Planning group in London, he acquired significant international experience on urban and regional planning issues, integrating transport systems and infrastructure in urban areas and developing Spatial Morphology models for a variety of cities. In 2005, he was invited to join Bilbao Ría 2000, a publicly owned urban regeneration company, as Development Planning Director, where he was responsible for the planning of new development opportunities, integrating key transport infrastructures within dense urban environments, managing the interests and expectations of a diverse range of public administrations and ensuring physical, social and financial viability of the projects. In 2014, he established himself as an independent consultant and is currently advising on strategic urban projects internationally."