|
|
 |
|
| 14.05.2007 | ||
The development project in the Poblenou district of the city provides for a structural redevelopment of the old industrial landscape into a high-tech district based on the 19th century city plan.
The Poblenou district lies within the eastern sector of the Eixample, the Barcelona urban “extension” of 1859 designed by Catalan engineer Ildefons Cerdà. Cerdà had linked a clear geometric grid onto the mediaeval cityscape of Barcelona – a cityscape that continues to be held in high international regard. In the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century entrepreneurs in Barcelona established a large number of industrial manufacturing plants, with the factories being located primarily in the Poblenou district. The district started to decline in the 1960s as the expanding industries left their headquarters in the centre of the town. Economic crises in the seventies aggravated the process. Ahead of the Olympic Games in 1992 a new era eventually dawned: the city initiated large urban development projects, such as the building of the Ronda, a ring of expressways around the centre, the opening of the town to the sea via a series of town beaches, the building of the Olympic Village, and last but not least the conversion and regeneration of the industrial wasteland.
In 2000 Barcelona entered into the development project 22@Barcelona. It has two targets, namely to transform the city whilst also kick-starting economic development. This process is to be phased over a period of approximately 15 years.
Public space can be seen as the foundation of the town’s architecture, its aspects and functions. It is therefore one of the most important tools of urban development. The public spaces consist of a series of open spaces of various sizes. Large parkland areas such as the Parc Litoral or Parc Central are gradually being complemented with small open spaces. These piazzas and passages arise from individual building projects and create concrete links between the different users of the area. On the other hand the redevelopment of Barcelona’s industrial sites provides the only opportunity to establish the Poblenou district as a commercial centre within the city. Project 22@Barcelona rests on the combination of science, technology and entrepreneurial activity, thereby promoting the coexistence of clean industry and innovative branches of economic activity, called “actividades @”, which are characterised by the intensive application of information and communication technology and create employment for highly qualified professionals. In negotiations the public authorities are currently working together with private investors on the urban development of the district. The private investors are drawing complete streets into the refurbishment process, transferring this land away from the city free of charge and in exchange being granted more building permits. In this way one third of land in 100 percent private ownership is converted into public land, upon which new green spaces, community amenities and housing can be created.
The book Urban Design 1 – Standpunkte und Projekte [perspectives and projects] is issued by Garten + Landschaft, the leading German magazine for architectural landscaping. It presents trends and tendencies for towns and quarters in a state of flux, predominantly in Germany and Europe. This first book in the Urban Design series encompasses a spectrum of city centre projects such as the Spreepromenade in Berlin and the Jungfernstieg in Hamburg, but also plans for industrial wasteland such as the Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen or concepts for town quarters such as 22@Barcelona in the former industrial quarter Poblenou. It is not simply a matter of pure description of designs and their depiction in images but the strategies of planners and administrations who have the courage to put their ideas into practice.
|
* * * * 24 votes |
Subscribe (RSS)
Interesting read. thanks
!!
petter