Wandering Citutat Vella

Today some of us were fortunate to have a tour of Citutat Vella by Carme Guell. This district which means old city in Catlan makes up the old heart of Barcelona. It was interesting to explore the narrow streets and squares which contrast in size and scale so dramatically with the regular grid and wider roads of Poblenou.

We started at the site of the Mercat Sant Caterina which was completely renovated in 2005. The colourful undulating roof signals the importance of the building within the surrounding residential context. Carme was a source of great knowledge about the regeneration of the area and the input from the council. One thing that surprised us was that in the construction of a public square in which the local residents wished to get involved community participation became so powerful that the council gave power over to the select group of residents. In this way the bottom up democratic process became top down, just by a few residents instead of the council. This was the first time we had really questioned how far community participation and power can go.

We wandered through El Born and down towards Sant Jaume square, the cathedral and through Placa Real to the Ramblas. Carme explained how she used to buy flowers and the Sunday paper along Las Ramblas at the weekend. Now that this street has become the tourist epicentre of Barcelona, the stands do not sell Spanish or Catalan language newspapers. Now the stalls and shops sell tourist tat. Though Barcelona has benefitted hugely from tourism, this street signifies the disadvantages that come with an influx of international visitors. We would like to think we are exceptions to this rule, having not once since we have been here, eaten or bought anything along Las Ramblas! We will continue in this vain, spending our days along the more local friendly Rambla de Poblenou instead!

#wsa #emuve #exploring #barcelona #Barcelona