Diagonal Barcelona | Walking & talking urban regeneration

Day 2 Barcelona Diagonal
Walking & talking urban regeneration

Day 2 at Plaça de les Glòries to meet architectural historian Mónica Cruz Guáqueta from Guiding Architects to walk the ambitious Diagonal regeneration. Fascinating on urban fabric, how to support small scale business and family life, and the inevitable tensions between civic/social ambition and the might of the developer.

We visited a modern market place, walked public routes through civic buildings, and saw other planned connections fenced off where the public and private realm find themselves at odds. Superblocs look good, turns out people don't like them much - Monica however is optimistic that the next version can learn and refine, yet another overlay perhaps finding the answer.

Two buildings en route, opposite each other and opposites also in both appearance and function:

The Media ICT is all about innovation, digitally designed for sustainability and close up looks like it has something to say in its graphic form and ETFE facade, but from a distance it evaporates. Opposite is the beautiful Can Framis, an 18th century textile factory renovated by BAAS almost invisible from the street with its screen of birch and grass, un-city-like paths drawing you in to have a look at its white-washed facades and connecting concrete slabs and projecting planes. Different approaches side by side, part of the 22@Barcelona project. 

Just over 48 hours during which we talked and saw design, making, architecture, urbanism, politics, food and wine. This visit reminded me that we can have wonderful cities that are good to and for those that live in them, we just need to think a bit about what we want and not leave everything to market forces.