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<h2><a href="http://barcelonaentransicio.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/transition-vision-barcelona/">A Transition Vision For Barcelona City</a></h2>
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<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Towards a healthier, happier, eco-effective Barcelona.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Greening the city, connecting communities, C2C city</strong></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Many of us in <a href="http://barcelonaentransicio.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/">Barcelona en Transició</a>
believe that Barcelona city is in a very good position to become an
urban leader once again, as it has been before, especially 150 years
ago with the <a href="http://www.cccb.org/es/exposicio-cerda_i_la_barcelona_del_futur_realitat_versus_projecte-29912">Eixample</a> vision of <a href="http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ildefons_Cerd%C3%A0_i_Sunyer">Ildefons Cerdà</a>.
Those that are in the position to make calls for how the city moves
foreward could take bold steps to try to make the city demonstrate to
Europe and the world what a sustainable city could be. We in the
Transition group have ideas we wish to share about what such eco urban
visions might be…</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.morfae.com/0294-actar/"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-582" title="self sufficient city2" src="http://barcelonaentransicio.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/self-sufficient-city2.jpg?w=172&h=138" alt="" height="138" width="172"></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><a href="http://www.advancedarchitecturecontest.org/contest/index.html#top"><br></a></em></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><a href="http://www.advancedarchitecturecontest.org/contest/index.html#top"><br></a></em></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><a
href="http://www.advancedarchitecturecontest.org/contest/index.html#top">THE SELF-SUFFICIENT CITY: Envisioning the habitat of the future</a></em> was a recent architectural competition run by <a href="http://www.iaac.net/">IAAC</a> </span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia). A submission from one of the <a href="http://barcelonaentransicio.wordpress.com/">Barcelona en Transició</a> collective, b</span></span></span>ased on Transition and Permacultural ideas, was selected as a finalist, <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">published in IAAC´s book, and its 1 minute film summary of the proposal was screened in <a href="http://www.cccb.org/ca/">CCCB</a>. <br></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:
rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br></span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">150 word Summary of the proposal and the 1 minute film screened in <a href="http://www.cccb.org/ca/">CCCB</a>: (vid only viewable in blogpost)<br></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"> </span></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Create urban greenway / CPUL mesh</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Develop more bikeways/ walkways to
easily connect from within city centre to nature: rivers, sea,
surrounding hills. Allow all abandoned spaces to become indefinite
temporary gardens. Specify strategic zones as permanent community
gardens, including within all existing public parks and schools.
Connect these nodes by <a href="http://www.aevv-egwa.org/">greenways</a>. Turn greenways into <a href="http://transitionculture.org/essential-info/book-reviews/cpuls/">CPUL´s </a>(Continuous
Productive Urban Landscapes), Plant fruit and nut trees, berry hedges,
diverse vegetation, food. These bio threads allow nature into the city;
butterflies, song birds, pollen. Use city roofspace(s) as one vast
CPUL, solar energy harvest, water collection zone and new Public Park.
As private car use diminishes turn old “car lanes” into “food lanes”.
Create mixed use clusters around gardens, part of the urban fabric:
play area, sport complex, café. Make spaces experimental, adaptable and
open to everyone. Let all life adapt and grow.</em></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><em><br></em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://itsafunnyoldworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/vid-image.jpg"><img title="Greening the city and connecting communities @ Barcelona " src="http://itsafunnyoldworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/vid-image.jpg?w=450&h=313" alt="" height="313" width="450"></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="more-572"></span>Here is the submission in its totality. Below are the 3 A3 panels that were submitted, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>click on each panel to view in PDF</em></span>. Underrneath is a summary of the ideas examined.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.wiserearth.org/uploads/file/d65adc52103ea74dcdc48abc193bf3aa/COMP%20A3%20PANEL%201%20-%20BCN.pdf"><img class="alignnone" title="greening the city" src="http://www.wiserearth.org/uploads/user/dunk/panel1.jpg" alt="" height="319" width="450"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">PANEL 1 (1,76 MB)</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.wiserearth.org/uploads/file/8b19f2bcdbd753a4e82c943af1698774/COMP%20A3%20PANEL%202%20-%20BCN.pdf"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.wiserearth.org/uploads/user/dunk/panel2.jpg" alt="" height="318" width="450"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">PANEL 2 (1,06 MB)</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.wiserearth.org/file/download/faad49b0dc1237a41ed6b7321848e5eb"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.wiserearth.org/uploads/user/dunk/panel3.jpg" alt="" height="318" width="450"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">PANEL 3 (2,98 MB)</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<p><strong>NOTE</strong> – C2C stands for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle_to_Cradle_Design">Cradle to Cradle</a> city, which is inspired by the copyrighted ideas of <a title="Michael Braungart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Braungart">Michael Braungart</a> and <a title="William McDonough" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McDonough">William McDonough</a></p>
<p><strong>Proposal outline in more detail:</strong></p>
<p>__________________________</p><p><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>9 simple, immediate, intelligent steps for a healthier, happier, eco-effective Barcelona <br></strong></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br></strong></p>
<p>1 – Healthy cities address their rivers lovingly.<br>
2 – Make a mesh of connected greenways in the city.<br>
3 – Turn greenways into CPUL threads.<br>
4 – Edible Barcelona<br>
5 – Use the city to cleanly power its transport<br>
6 – Barcelona has a water crisis. Time to start using water smartly.<br>
7 – Make urban wandering more joyful<br>
8 – “Let the Eixample mosaic of hidden green zones sparkle in the city”<br>
9 – Passeig de Sant Joan Park</p><p><br></p>
<p><strong>1 – Healthy cities address their rivers lovingly.</strong></p>
<p>These zones could / should become a very high use and very important
zone for the city. Recently the river Besos’s edges have been improved
and one side included for the Ronda Verde greenway. Presently there is
just endless space taken up by grass. We suggest a mix of use, designed
in a creative and appealing way. Diversify the land with the inclusion
of areas to eat, play, plant food, compost, make art and engage in
education. Also include many areas of wildness, biodiversity and
habitat. Easy and safe bike access from the city is desirable. Many
Aula Ambiental’s should also exist here. Possible future architectural
competition zone.</p><p><br></p>
<p><strong>2 – Make a mesh of connected greenways in the city.</strong></p>
<p>Closing the Loop(s): Develop more bikeways/ walkways to easily
connect from within city centre to nature: rivers, sea and the
surrounding hills. Use these routes to connect presently disconnected
nodes: nature spots, city parks, community gardens, schools, libraries…
Routes become critical urban threads, developing ecologically with
time. Create new nodal points on threads for more amenities as use
increases: Expect to grow more eco roots (routes) from nodal points.
Ensure all urban street bike routes have edge ramps, for safety
reasons. Make all urban bikeway surfaces permeable.</p><p><br></p>
<p><strong>3 – Turn greenways into CPUL threads.</strong></p>
<p>Create CPULS (Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes) for the city.
Allow all abandoned spaces to become indefinite temporary gardens.
Specify strategic zones as permanent community gardens, including
within existing public parks and schools. Connect these nodes by
greenways. Turn lands alongside greenways into green zones by planting
trees and diverse vegetation, these bio threads allow for flows of
animal life, thereby bringing nature into the city; butterflies, song
birds. Create mixed use clusters around gardens, part of the urban
fabric: play area, sport complex, café. Make spaces experimental,
adaptable and open to everyone.</p><p><br></p>
<p><strong>4 – Edible Barcelona</strong></p>
<p>Allow for all parks to have community gardens. Use city roofspace(s)
as one vast CPUL, slar energy harvest and water collection landscape,
as well as new Public Park. Make Tree lined streets with edible trees;
nuts and fruits. Introduce urban berry hedges. As private car use
diminishes turn old “car lanes” into “food lanes”. Offer incentives to
people to plant own food everywhere. Havana has done it, Middlesborough
is doing it.</p><p><br></p>
<p><strong>5 – Use the city to cleanly power its transport</strong></p>
<p>Towards a zero carbon, car free eco city: Promote car pooling and
sharing. All City buses and cars become electrically powered, non CO2
emitting vehicles, powered by cities solar roofscape. “Petrol” garages
become quick battery exchange points for vehicles. Stationary vehicles
also powered in and by parking lots.</p><p><br></p>
<p><strong>6 – Barcelona has a water crisis. Time to start using water smartly.</strong></p>
<p>City must collect, clean, store and reuse its rain water. Use
“living machines” to treat wastewater from sinks, bathtubs, toilets for
reuse as irrigation in city gardens and flushing toilets. Reduce our
demand on potable water. Make much of the city pervious, to allow water
back into the natural water cycle.</p><p><br></p>
<p><strong>7 – Make urban wandering more joyful</strong></p>
<p>There are a limited amount of small public parks throughout the
city. Presently many parks remain closed until 9am, by which time many
people are already at work. Best situation is where parks never close;
when not possible insist parks open at 8am. Encourage more entry / exit
points for parks, so they become flow through zones. Make parks
landscapes of colours, sounds and smells. Create water capturing and
storage systems between parks and neighbouring buildings. Allow for
community gardens, composting points, outdoor education, Aula
Ambiental’s… Make parks the focal point of new community clusters.</p><p><br></p>
<p><strong>8 – “Let the Eixample mosaic of hidden green zones sparkle in the city”</strong></p>
<p>Cerda’s original plan saw each illa’s courtyard as a beautiful
publicly accessible garden. Unfortunately most were filled in. Support
ProEixample’s work to transform them back to green zones and encourage
more public access to these zones. Make more than one entrance to the
blocks, to maximize people flow. Explore food production, composting
and water collection in these zones.</p><p><br></p>
<p><strong>9 – Passeig de Sant Joan Park</strong></p>
<p>This fine passageway should be finished to the degree it deserves.
Presently it is composed of three sections that form an edge to the old
town and makes a direct connection between Gracia and the cities lung;
Parc de la Ciutadella. The first section is the most pleasant,
Travessera de Gracia to Avinguda Diagonal, a continuous zone of rest,
play, flowers and fine old trees. Its final section, Arc de Triomf to
the park along Passeig de Lluis Companys, is a classical tree lined
avenue with some zones for petanca. We suggest that the missing section
needs the same area given over for pedestrian and bike use, greenery,
food production. This greenway can continue upward via Placa Joanic and
Carrer Escorial, to act as a central route way from the city to Parc
Guell and beyond to the nearby hills of Collserola.</p>
<p><strong> </strong>__________________________</p><p><br></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong> Barcelona is one of Europe’s most polluted and dirty cities. Let her roofscape help remedy this.</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br>
</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Picking a juicy orange from a nearby
tree and eating it, relaxing and talking with friends on a bench,
working in a community garden to cultivate food, smelling the colourful
flowers. All this in a place that’s always been there, but never been
there.</div>
<br>
<div style="text-align: justify;">A vast zone of food production, solar
energy harvest, water collection, a series of public parks of varying
scales; this is what the roofscape of Barcelona’s old city could easily
be like. A many hectored, multi islanded, connected green space, linked
by a network of bridges. A very exciting new urban terrain which would
help reduce the cities carbon emissions by sequestering carbon while
creating clean, cool and fresh air for the city. Presently, about 80-90
% of this area is unused and inaccessible to the inhabitants below. It
now acts as a huge <strong>heat island</strong>, raising the cities
temperature and worsening smog levels. Green roofs act as natural rain
water drainage systems and also insulate the apartments below, further
alleviating need for air conditioning.</div>
<br>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Soon Barcelona’s Ajuntament might
have to pay a carbon tax; this money could be used now to offer
incentives to landlords to immediately cover their terraces with
planted green roofs. From there <strong>public–ising</strong> of roofspaces might begin. Take this bold urban step and make Barcelona a model urban city once again.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong> </strong>__________________________<br><br></div>
<p><strong>From the block to the table: a closed loop of waste treatment, food production and much much more.</strong></p><p><strong><br></strong></p>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">The Eixample’s macro level sees
pedestrian routes through and between block interiors as mechanisms for
connecting wider communities by movement through an urban web of
various green spaces. At the micro level the inclusion of services in
these parks for the immediate community act as strong catalysts:
schools, libraries, civic centres, parks, playgrounds, sport zones…
these spaces can be altered to radically boost their blocks eco
performance, while also becoming even more loved spaces by their
communities.<br><br></div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Is a fully self reliant block feasible?
Let’s imagine… Intelligent collection and recyclical use of rainwater
being the key, green roof sections are introduced to the blocks roof
terraces which begin draining rainwater to a strategically placed
storage pond in the parks sunny area. External green facades are
introduced on the blocks western walls, both inside and out, to protect
against difficult solar over heating. These double up as water
purifiers for blocks grey waste waters. The end water is recycled for
flushing toilets. In time, these facades might bear fruit. Intelligent
planting is set around and in the pond, which is transformed into an
urban wetland urban wetland, treating the blocks waste black waters,
the outcome of which feeds all the blocks plants.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A communal composter is created in the
park for all organic wastes. The output of which is used in the new
areas for food planting in the park. The park wetland has created a
unique habitat and biodiversity: fish, frogs butterflies and ducks can
be seen and heard. The parks air is now cooler and fresher, breezes
flow with scents from aromatic herbs, the parks microclimate is felt to
be ideal. A garden school starts in the block; soon families are
transforming their roof terraces and balconies into food production
zones. Most of the time, the kids are the teachers. Community is the
vital word here, without it all else falls apart. Bottom up planning
offers opportunities to connect and participate. Gardens and food bring
people together. At harvest time the community eats together at tables
in their park. The park becomes a model for similar parks nearby, in
time all blocks copy its simple eco efficient and intelligent
techniques. Parks and projects become the major catalysts for local
interaction: spaces for education, trial and error, working and
learning together. They take time and love to develop and have their
own life force. They are the Eixample’s sacred spaces.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Strangers enter the many parks and
enjoy the tranquility of the water and the wildlife. Some rainwater is
returned to the natural ground table and much is used to run the block,
this alleviates greatly from the municipal system, reducing their
energy consumption. The block consumes less potable water; in time
maybe it will require none at all. Barcelona is well on the road to
being a beautiful and healthy, eco effective city.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong> </strong>__________________________</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Via Verde BCN: A series of greenway ripples, radiating out from the green heart of the city</strong></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Parc de la Ciutadella is not only the
cities strategically placed central green lung; it happens to make up
one of the most deeply loaded parts of Barcelona’s, and indeed
Catalunya’s, urban and social history. In short; it matters. From this
much loved city space, and always connecting back to and through it,
are the 3 ripples; a series of radiating greenways that form a simple
orbital matrix, the spine of a network. This structure forms the
organising system through which all future greenways routes (roots)
weave, from within the city out to her sea, rivers and surrounding
hills. And from there to the wider networks beyond…</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ronda Verda: An orbital 72 km bikeway
that is currently being constructed for Barcelona city. It is the first
urban greenway loop. It connects the coastal beaches, the river Besos,
the mountain of Montjuic and the cities natural backbone, the hills of
Collserola.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ronda Azul: The 25 km blue loop is a
very important strategic greenway. It branches from the first loop at
Montjuic and Forum and links directly to the 2 major urban nodes that
are the train stations of Sants and Sagrera; the future high speed AVE
station and expected gateway to the city. It also connects the city to
its balcony; los Tres Turons, the 3 hills, the green zone within the
city which include Parcs Putxet, Güell, Del Carmel and Guinardo. The
remainder connects the treelined walkways of Rambla de Prim and Avenue
de Tarradellas with many smaller parks and food gardens of Vallcarca,
Maragall and Sagrera.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ronda Rocco: A 5 km red loop through
the heart of the city: From the very sculptural Parc de l’estació del
Nord, through Arco de Trinfo and Passeig de Lluis Companys, this
greenway passes through Parc de la Ciutadella, crosses its new eco-city
bridge to Parc Barcelonetta and onto the sea. After a swim, one can
weave back through Hospital Del Mar´s green zones to connect with the
parks recently built over the underground rail lines.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Parc de la Ciutadella and her roots:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A series of root like threads weave
outward from the park through the urban orbital spinal network,
creating new urban nodes: The premiere greenway seeks water: through
Parc de les Glóries Catalanes, Sagrera AVE station, to the new Besos
river connection at Trinitat. Another leads through the 2 modernista
architectural gems of Hospital St Pau and Gaudi’s Sagrera Familia,
toward Guinardo Park and Hortas greenway. In time more roots and sub
roots connect as citizens adapt it to their needs; an ever growing,
organic, open network.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>