Santander and its metropolitan area, which sit in the largest estuary of the northern coast of Spain, are home to nearly half the region of Cantabria. Our masterplan for the city’s port aims at creating the conditions for a regenerative impulse to take place. The design strategy proposes 3 approaches, each responding to issues such as population density and urban terrain, and all addressing the specificities of each site. For densely populated quarters, - higher than 600 people/ha - restructuring is the underlining principle. Here, the project provides a new fully functional urban grid, new building structures, as well as the extension of the Paseo Maritimo. In areas of less than 250 people per hectare, the goal is to restore the landscape to its natural condition, refurbish existing building structures, and to provide a usable city - river public area. Where the city - and its contact with the sea - is more consolidated, intervention will be restricted to conservation standards.