‘We must construct a city of cities'
It is necessary to create an urban plan that has the capacity to regulate the city as it is today and organise its growth and transformation. In the case of the metropolitan area of Barcelona, one was designed (and designed very well) in 1947, although this metropolitan general plan is now obsolete and fails to respond to the challenges of society today.
The majority of cities worldwide face three challenges:
• Put an end to social inequalities
• Organise mobility of both people and goods
• Have environmental quality
And in the case of the metropolitan area of Barcelona, there is a fourth challenge: to make it possible for a set of urban cores to be structured as a city of cities; the conception of Barcelona and its periphery needs to be broken.
The PDU drawing-up process has two main lines:
1) Structure the different problems and diagnoses based on eight subjects, grouped together under three headings:
a) Urban metabolism
b) Residential spaces and social cohesion
c) Economic spaces and economic activity
2) Run a participatory process with different groups: analysts and experts, local councils (municipal analysts) and organisations of the social fabric and citizens.
In the case of citizens, urban planning needs to reach everyone: resident associations, trade unions, cultural entities, etc. We need to focus on aspects that affect each group and also adapt the involvement to the interlocutors, as they have to know about the subject and, if this is not the case, an effort must be made to ensure it reaches everyone.
The majority of cities worldwide face three challenges:
• Put an end to social inequalities
• Organise mobility of both people and goods
• Have environmental quality
And in the case of the metropolitan area of Barcelona, there is a fourth challenge: to make it possible for a set of urban cores to be structured as a city of cities; the conception of Barcelona and its periphery needs to be broken.
The PDU drawing-up process has two main lines:
1) Structure the different problems and diagnoses based on eight subjects, grouped together under three headings:
a) Urban metabolism
b) Residential spaces and social cohesion
c) Economic spaces and economic activity
2) Run a participatory process with different groups: analysts and experts, local councils (municipal analysts) and organisations of the social fabric and citizens.
In the case of citizens, urban planning needs to reach everyone: resident associations, trade unions, cultural entities, etc. We need to focus on aspects that affect each group and also adapt the involvement to the interlocutors, as they have to know about the subject and, if this is not the case, an effort must be made to ensure it reaches everyone.