01 ENCOUNTERING WATERS

Barcelona’s history starts from the sea and the coast. Water carries ships and boats that arrive at the gentle gradient of the coastal bathymetry, helping the Romans land on the coastal plain.

Villages, towns, and the citadel, the historic old town of Barcelona grow contingent on the sea. However, the city has turned its back on the sea over time - industrial development and urbanization happened rapidly, and the coast become forgotten as the city expanded inward, heading toward the mountains. An arterial road is cut through between the coast and the city, making the coast even less accessible by foot.

Neighborhoods

The 1975 democratization, the 1980s emerging ideal of a “vacation by the beach”, and the 1992 Olympics are pivotal moments in time when the city start to re-evaluate and reimagine the coast. A series of public space designs and constructions took place - using diverse suturing methods ranging from promenades, winding trails, bridges, plazas, stairways, etc. to stretch, patch, and re-claim the waterfront.