Today, Spain remains a country under construction. Wherever you go, you will always find a road being built, a square being “improved,” or a half-finished railway station. But despite the delays, bureaucracy, and soaring budgets, one thing never changes: Spanish optimism.
For some reason, we keep believing that, despite everything, things will turn out fine in the end. And often they do. Not always on time or within budget, but there they are: projects get finished… eventually. It is as though we have a love-hate relationship with our infrastructure: we complain about the delays and inconvenience, yet cannot help feeling proud when we see the final result, even if it took twice as long as expected.
Furthermore, in recent years we have begun worrying more about the environment and sustainability, adding a new dimension to our infrastructure. Construction projects now have to be not just functional but “green” too. But, of course, in our typical way of doing things, that does not mean we will stop building. It just means we now add the occasional solar panel and a bike lane to justify it.