Noting that the building will be an icon at the crossroads of several diagonal streets, he points to other such beacons. Pride fueled city's drive Skeptics and admirers alike agree that Bilbao has staged a remarkable recovery. The catalyst may have been the city's rapidly sinking fortunes. Though we are now a democracy, we don't yet have a tradition of debate. Even critics like Cenicacelaya praise the government for its determination to arrest the city's decline.
Desperate times call for desperate acts.
The Basques believed that they alone could change their conception of their future. They were not willing to settle for what the market would give them. Probably, instead, an assured failure. Developers say they are committed to preserving its pedestrian-friendly character. Industries were in decline.