Urban Renewal
Urban/Cultural Regeneration: the Example of La Mina
Regeneration strategies were looked at in 3 phases. Barcelona’s approach in regeneration was based on the culture and strong participation amongst its citizens; as a result a unique government structure took shape. Barcelona’s renewal process aimed to focus on the importance of connecting social niches and create an identity for the city. As a result public spaces were a reflection of how the culture of people shaped it and encouraged the development of areas for festivals, cultural events, and plazas [1]. La mina is an example of how a deprived neighborhood adopted and utilized different approaches to implementing public spaces.
Regeneration strategies were looked at in 3 phases. Barcelona’s approach in regeneration was based on the culture and strong participation amongst its citizens; as a result a unique government structure took shape. Barcelona’s renewal process aimed to focus on the importance of connecting social niches and create an identity for the city. As a result public spaces were a reflection of how the culture of people shaped it and encouraged the development of areas for festivals, cultural events, and plazas [1]. La mina is an example of how a deprived neighborhood adopted and utilized different approaches to implementing public spaces.
Case Study-Urban Renewal
La Mina lays on the edge of Barcelona, a small community in close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. It is a neighborhood that was built in the 1960s and provided a low-income housing program for the residents living there. This program built apartments for about 10,000 people and the built environment consisted of an 18-hectare neighborhood that had both public space and buildings distributed in a very complex set up. Some features that these public spaces included are boulevards, green areas, and public facilities.
La Mina is used for a case study as an example of the impact new public spaces had on this renewal process in this neighborhood. This neighborhood was comprised of two different areas, La mina Vella and La mina Nova due to a variance in density, the built environment, and the typography of the public spaces. After construction finished, the city faced both social and physical decay leading to social conflicts that put a heavy burden on the city and the neighborhood environment. Most of the issues within the city took place in public spaces. It wasn’t until the renewal process of the Olympic Games that La Mina received an opportunity to have a transformation plan (TPLM) designated specifically to improve both the physical and social infrastructure of the city. The renewal of La Mina not only made the city more accessible and connected to other parts of Barcelona, but it also led to conflict of interests. [2]
La Mina lays on the edge of Barcelona, a small community in close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. It is a neighborhood that was built in the 1960s and provided a low-income housing program for the residents living there. This program built apartments for about 10,000 people and the built environment consisted of an 18-hectare neighborhood that had both public space and buildings distributed in a very complex set up. Some features that these public spaces included are boulevards, green areas, and public facilities.
La Mina is used for a case study as an example of the impact new public spaces had on this renewal process in this neighborhood. This neighborhood was comprised of two different areas, La mina Vella and La mina Nova due to a variance in density, the built environment, and the typography of the public spaces. After construction finished, the city faced both social and physical decay leading to social conflicts that put a heavy burden on the city and the neighborhood environment. Most of the issues within the city took place in public spaces. It wasn’t until the renewal process of the Olympic Games that La Mina received an opportunity to have a transformation plan (TPLM) designated specifically to improve both the physical and social infrastructure of the city. The renewal of La Mina not only made the city more accessible and connected to other parts of Barcelona, but it also led to conflict of interests. [2]
References
[1] Marshall, T. (1996). Barcelona—fast forward? City entrepreneurialism in the 1980s and 1990s. European Planning Studies, 4(2), 147.
[2] Calderon, C., & Chelleri, L. (2013). Social Processes in the Production of Public Spaces: Structuring Forces and Actors in the Renewal of a Deprived Neighbourhood in Barcelona. Journal Of Urban Design. 18(3). 409-42.
Media
[1] Barcelona’s 3 phases of Transformation [Article]. Retrieved on International Journal of Urban & Regional Research,
[2] Land Use of Different Areas of La mina [Web Photo]. Retrieved on http://olympicstudies.uab.es/pdf/wp090_eng.pdf
[1] Marshall, T. (1996). Barcelona—fast forward? City entrepreneurialism in the 1980s and 1990s. European Planning Studies, 4(2), 147.
[2] Calderon, C., & Chelleri, L. (2013). Social Processes in the Production of Public Spaces: Structuring Forces and Actors in the Renewal of a Deprived Neighbourhood in Barcelona. Journal Of Urban Design. 18(3). 409-42.
Media
[1] Barcelona’s 3 phases of Transformation [Article]. Retrieved on International Journal of Urban & Regional Research,
[2] Land Use of Different Areas of La mina [Web Photo]. Retrieved on http://olympicstudies.uab.es/pdf/wp090_eng.pdf