The eastern-most municipal district of Barcelona, bordered by Sant Andreu on one side and the Mediterranean on the other, Sant Mart was an important industrial centre up till the second half of the 20th century, when industry moved out and building speculators moved in.

The siting of the Olympic Village here in 1992 gave the area a dramatic facelift, with the creation of excellent beaches, an Olympic port and a residential area known as Nova Icara, boasting every conceivable modern facility as well as twin skyscrapers which have become a local landmark.

At the seaside end of the Avenue Diagonal which divides Sant Mart in half, is the new luxurious, if somewhat soulless, residential area of Diagonal Mar, home to the Barcelona Forum of Cultures 2004, and site of two of the areas major commercial centres.

A little close for comfort just north of Diagonal Mar stands the thermal power station of Sant Andri de Besos. In contrast to this ultra-modern urban development, the barrio of Poblenou, which is located around the central Rambla de Poblenou, has maintained quite a bit of its original industrial architecture amidst the 1960s apartment blocks, its warehouses and factories having been converted to bohemian housing for Barcelonas artists, and the area now is home to some of the citys biggest nightclubs.

A vast new technology park in Distretto di Actividades, the so-called 22@bcn, is planned for the Poblenou area. Several municipal markets are dotted round the Sant Mart district, including the central Glries Market, a huge market selling everything from bikes to cheap CDs. Public transport is excellent with 2 underground lines and an extensive bus network.