Public Space Metropolitan Barcelona. Interventions and Conversations. 2018-2022, by AMB

06/09/2023. [BCN] Spain
metalocus, ADELA BONAS

Espacios metropolitanos is a collection of books published by the Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), in its more than 30 years of publishing, it has published part of the works that have been built in Barcelona. In 2023, the sixth volume of the collection was published and includes works built between 2018 and 2022. The Barcelona metropolitan area covers an area of 636 sqkm across 36 municipalities and 3.2 million people.

During the 5-year period included in this edition, 251 projects have been built, of which 56 projects have been published that respond to the different ideas that are intended to be included in the collection. AMB is committed to quality public space, places where social conflicts arise which, together with the effects of climate change, allow the territory to be structured.

Interior pages. Public Space Metropolitan Barcelona. Interventions and Conversations. 2018-2022, by AMB.

Interior pages. Public Space Metropolitan Barcelona. Interventions and Conversations. 2018-2022, by AMB.

"We are committed to a free, open, and fluid public space, compatible with multiple uses, flexible and adaptable to changes to be able to transform, evolve, and face new needs."

Albert Gassull.

Therefore, the 56 selected projects in "Public Space of Metropolitan Barcelona" aim to build a livable metropolis by responding to problems of sustainability, comfort, and equity. They are classified into 6 themes; park space, riverside space, rehabilitated space, covered space, urban space, and mobility space. Each of them is introduced through interviews with two experts, all of them are carried out by the journalist Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, and allow us to know the point of view inside and outside the metropolitan administration.

Park Space, begins with interviews with Inma Jansana and Casti Montserrat, in these interviews, they are asked about the relationship between the city and nature, how their union has been developing, and the different upcoming strategies to generate the different park spaces. In this classification, 8 examples are provided, 6 of interventions in the XPM, one of adaptation of existing parks and a newly created park.

Interior pages. Public Space Metropolitan Barcelona. Interventions and Conversations. 2018-2022, by AMB.

Ribera Space begins with interviews with Iñaqui Alday and Margarita Jover, and Antoni Farrero, in which the importance that the river banks have gained is criticized and explained, and how they have managed to reach the point today, in Barcelona. . 12 projects are exemplified, 3 of river areas and living areas, 4 river passes and 5 interventions on the beach, these 5 are all the interventions that have occurred on the beach of Barcelona.

Renovated Space, is composed of an interview with David Chipperfield and Carlos Llinás. A reflection is made on how to rehabilitate what to destroy and what not when creating a project to rehabilitate a space. In this topic, there are 7 examples, 5 from cultural spaces, some from commercial spaces, and another from teaching spaces.

Covered space, is introduced with the interview with the architects Josep Ferrando and Oriol Ribera, in these interviews they are asked about the occupied urban space and how it has been covered and with what type of building, the empty urban spaces in the city of Barcelona. In this section, 8 projects are published, of which 4 are for sports use and 4 for cultural use.

Interior pages. Public Space Metropolitan Barcelona. Interventions and Conversations. 2018-2022, by AMB.

Urban Space, begins with interviews for Beth Galo and Claudi Aguiló Riu together with Eva Pagés by Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, in this case, they are asked for their opinion of the different changes, renovations, and new constructions of different urban spaces in Barcelona case. 12 urban projects are combined, 2 for streets, seven for squares, 2 for avenues and a great transformation.

Mobilized Space, presents two interviews with Paul Lecroart and Javier Ortigosa, thanks to the questions asked, they give their opinion on how the way of moving has changed due to a change in the ways of working, and generate hypotheses about what it will be like in the future. There are nine examples shown in this section, with four projects dedicated to active mobility, four to accessibility, and one to the Naturalization of road spaces.