Day 5 Sunday 7th April 2013

Activity Four: Public Space & Civic Identity

Group: Gillian, Charles, Mairead, Michael

Visited: Jardins de Vil la Cecilia, de Sant Pere

 

Today we were given the task to observe what was happening and take note, in two diverse areas of Barcelona away from all the hustle and bustle of tourist life.
The first area we visited was a park called “Jardins de Vil la Cecilia”. Today the weather was good and it was a Sunday so as expected the park was very busy. The park was very clean no rubbish around and looked well maintained. Because it was Sunday the information centre was closed but we gathered lots of information by just observing. The park was made up of different levels and materials. There was a water feature at the entrance of the park which was at a lower level to the way walk, made of cream coloured concrete. The walk ways themselves made of gravel all lined with tree’s, hedges and bushes. There was a large red concrete basketball court being used by many children and parents for roller blading, skate boarding as well as basketball. This court was three steps down from the main level of the park so it gave a modern and safe feel. The park itself was very open yet the plants provided little quiet areas to sit and relax without the chatter from the main crowd. The materials used were mainly concrete and gravel, although wood and metal also used for the park benches.

     
Basketball court in Jardin de Vil la Cecilia

Water feature in Jardin de Vil la Cecilia

On arriving to de Sant Pere, we came to an open space at the centre of four roads. The concrete path went from straight through; there were trees and hedges behind a metal fence. There were also benches provided. This open space was very different to the first area as it was used almost as a footpath, people passing by not stopping to relax as it was so close to so many main roads. There was no atmosphere here and did not entice us to want to stay long. The only level difference was from the area itself and a step down to the main road, a basic safety standard.

De Sant Pere

Book we made for our presentation