The debate on the making of the city and the Barcelona model

Abstract

The great transformations that the city of Barcelona has endured in the last 25 years have led to the creation of the term” Barcelona model”. In a first phase (1980s), the main interventions were oriented to the regeneration of spaces (interventions in streets and squares) and to the creation of public facilities thorough the whole city but especially in the peripheral areas, affected by serious urban deficits. The priority in those years was the urban project, giving also special attention to the social movements and their claims for a better urban environment. The preparation of the Olympic Games (1992) changed the model of urban intervention towards big projects scheme, trying to prepare the city to the global competition. The paper characterizes the so called “Barcelona Model”, examining in a critical way some of the interventions in the urban planning arena and the social policy. Finally, emphasizes the need that the city construction is not left only to politicians and technicians, but takes also into account citizens participation and the dialogue between all these forces. The social and political goals have to be the departing point for any urban intervention and the spatial organization of the city.