Blake's Final Barcelona Reflection

Elements of the urban environment

Pedestrian Comfort It only takes a day of exploring Barcelona on foot to take notice of the quality of the sidewalks and curbs. Walking is an activity that is a central part of all Barcelona people's lives, even the oldest citizens. Elderly women such as the one pictured on the right are not an uncommon sight, navigating the busy streets, generally unassisted. This would not be possible if the sidewalks were not as carefully layed and curbs were not sloped so perfectly to meet the pavement. The city knows what its people need and it provides for them.
Recreational Use of Non-Recreational Space The many public spaces of Barcelona - plazas, sidewalks, courtyards, etc are not always used as their designers might have intended. The MACBA plaza, designed as an entrance to the museum and a pedestrian artery for the community surrounding it, is a popular spot for skateboarders to practice their latest tricks. During almost any hour of the day, this plaza is filled with that distinctive sound of skateboards grinding and flipping. The musuem and community's acceptance of this continuous use is a reflection of Barelona's support of its citizens' interests.
Performace in Public Space Public performance of many kinds is commonplace in Barcelona. Although most concentrated on La Rambla, performers can be found on street corners and metro trains throughout the city. At first glance, one might think the performances are primarily aimed at the tourists who have money to spend, but Barcelona's free will attitude suggests otherwise. Society seems to encourage this activity - one that benefits the performer and the passerby.
Public Art Barcelona is a city with design on the mind, having filled itself full of public art. In addition to sculptures in prominent spaces, art can be found in the most unusual places. This iron clock, shaped like an eye, is placed in the Sants-Estacio Metro station, almost as an afterthought. It looks out of place next to the convex mirror and utility boxes but adds a flavor to metro travel nonetheless. This stone carving stood out on a smooth wall in an alley. Seeming almost random in placement, this art certainly makes the wall more interesting.
A Micro-City in Every Block After living in Barcelona for a short period of time, one notes the convenience of the city. Produce stands, like this Gracia store, bakeries, markets, clothing stores, hair salons, bars, banks, travel agencies, chinese restaurants, laundries, dry cleaners, metro access, opticicians, shoe stores, etc are all available within a few blocks. You don't have to walk far along the city's carefully constructed walkways to get what you need. The people live a daily routine of going out for those last few things to make a meal and picking up a fresh loaf of bread.

the nature of public space

If you asked me where public spaces exist in Atlanta before I came to Barcelona I would probably list places like Centennial and Piedmont Park, and then pause and wonder what you really were asking me. After living in this Catalonian city for the summer, I have an entirely different answer to the question.

Tourists frequent the parks of Barcelona, while the locals know of better places to congregate. There are squares and plazas, designed for public use, but these spaces are finite. The public space of Barcelona really stretches across the entire city, existing wherever people choose to make use of it. Walkways running down the middle of streets like La Rambla and Saint Joan are not simply a means of getting from one point to another, but also areas used by all ages and walks of life for many different activities. Take a stroll down Saint Joan in the early evening as the sun descends toward the roofline horizon of Barcelona, and you will see the benches filled with people who came to meet up with others (Ortega y Gasset). Children and dogs chase each other as older men gather to play their game of bocci. Every day La Rambla is lined with performers, packed outdoor cafes, and many people with no single destination. These are not the sidewalks, pushed to the side, out of the way of the car and forgotten, but rather centerwalks, blank canvases to be used as people wish and washed clean for a new use every day.

Space in urban American is cut into sections, paved, and driven and parked on. The few public parks created are gated and used on the weekends. On week days, as the sun starts to set, the countrys city roads fill with commuters making their way home to eat dinner and turn on the television to catch the latest episode of Friends. We tend to gather in private groups, in designated spaces at irregular intervals, failing to use our cities that we have worked so hard to build. So where is the public space in Atlanta? There isnt any. Americans do not need piazzas. They should be home watching television. (Robert Venturi) We could learn a lot from Barcelona.

design

	obsessive The curb work around this traffic signal pole's base is an example of Barcelona's excessive stone work on the borders of its streets. The ramp from the sidewalk to the street is interrupted by this block of stone and serves no real function.
	This little girl playing on Saint Joan's walkway, takes a break to fill up cup from one of the city's many public water fountains. It seems to be designed with children in mind, as the spout is fairly low. When using these type of fountains, I actually have to stoop a bit.
	These barricades, despite their permanently fixed appearance, are in fact retractable. Used in pedestrian heavy areas such as at the intersection of small streets and La Rambla, vehicle access may be controlled by remote control. I first encountered them when a service vehicle needed to exit from this street onto la Rambla. By some unidentified trigger, the barricades dropped and the vehicle was on it's way. They are discreet and permanent and do not require personnel like moveable barricades do.
	This fast food style trash can has one primary difference from those we encounter back home -- the door. A handle has been cleverly added that makes dumping a tray of trash much easier. The trash can also has a metal cage covering the actual trash bin which contains an opening wide enough for trash to fall through but small enough to prevent someone from throwing away the tray.
	Although efficiencies are not present everywhere, Barcelona has mastered the efficiency of spacial use. These light posts provide light for two forms of traffic, cars and people, while only disrupting the shrubbery in one small spot. This may seem like extra effort for little gain, but along a boulevard like Saint Joan, these poles blend in with the trees lining it. Lighting both arteries with separate poles would result in twice as many poles. It is also interesting to note that the pedestrian side of the light pole forms a larger arc, covering the larger pedestrian side, while the the one lane of traffic is lit by the smaller side. Again an emphasis on the flow of pedestrians is evident.
	In a city running low on space, drivers of tiny cars enjoy the flexibility of squeezing into spaces that many cannot. With a footprint not much larger than that of a scooter but containing a good deal more passenger and cargo space, this tiny car has used the last bit of space on a cross street of Passeo de Gracia.
	Instead of the american style, hideous, concrete filled metal pole, Barcelona chooses to use far more attractive stone spheres to keep cars where they should be.
	When a perfectly crafted sidewalk meets a stone storefront entrance floor at just the right amount of misalignment, a barely visible ledge can be formed, just waiting for the unexpecting visitor. The first time I caught the front of my shoe on one of these ledges, I looked down in annoyance, wondering why someone would choose to create an entrance in this way. After giving this some more thought, it occured to me that most doorways that I pass through are on level ground. Storefronts at home are usually inside larger buildings or in strip malls where the ground is level. These sneaky pedestrian speed bumps in Barcelona are not really a design by choice, but rather the result of the space which has been allocated for an entrance. The grid of the city does not allow for the leveling of blocks and so planes at different angles are unavoidable.
	The Maremagnum floats just offshore glistening in the sun. This "big box" design is a new concept to Barcelona and the designer's choice to give the exterior its reflective nature is an interesting one. Potentially sticking out as a sore thumb, the Maremagnum attempts to blend in by reflecting the city it faces back to observers, while slightly augmenting this reflection.
	This column is multi-functional. At the top it alternates between displaying the current time and current temperature and is also illuminated at night. The majority of the column is used for posting advertisements. The diameter is large enough that fairly substantial posters can easily be read.