IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section B

Abstract

The city is not a static stable entity; therefore, it continues its transformation throughout time and this conversion is reflected in the public spaces that connect the past with its present and future. Understanding the urban past is essential to build the future of cities. The historical context facilitates making more informed decisions about the future. Analysing successful strategies and creative problem solving in historic cities can inspire urban planners and entrepreneurs to come up with innovative solutions to today’s urban challenges. Thus, the role of urban actors in the interpretation of the future city cannot be underestimated. Architect, garden designer, urbanist, and writer Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí, the director of ‘Parks and Gardens of Barcelona’ between 1917 and 1937, was one of the leading urban actors in the development of public spaces in Barcelona, especially through his approaches to park and garden designs. His earlier works were influenced by French landscape architect Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier, whom he respected and admired. They collaborated in 1915 when they undertook the design of several open spaces on the Montjuc hill in the western coast of Barcelona. During his assignment as director, he designed many public space projects, including the Plaça de Sagrada Familia, the Plaça Letamendi, the Jardins de Pedralbes and Turó Parc. He was a defender of the virtues of the garden city and named Barcelona “a magnificent instrument of collective life”. He prepared a systematisation of public spaces in Barcelona and developed many ideas about the city and its public space. His large-scale works also reflect the sensitivity of an artist and the detail-orientated nature of an architect. This paper will focus on the public space of Barcelona throughout the 1920s, mentioning outstanding projects and ideas by Rubió i Tudurí, and how his approaches relate to current urban challenges.