CH3 - URBAN SUTURES: Urban Public Space as Connecting, Mending, Negotiating Mediums

03

MENDING CHASMS

This chapter explores how urban public neighborhoods divided by

From the 1930s to the 1990s, Barcelona began its rapid eastward expansion towards the Besòs River. Urban developments, metro system growth, and the 1992 Olympics, all contributed to large-scale infrastructural implementations in the city. The infrastructural development forms new urban centers and accommodates more urban activities, but at the same time fragment the city with the chasms and the terrain vague (Solà-Morales, 1995) it creates.

As ideologies of walkable, sustainable, green healthy cities emerged at the end of the 20th century and still trending in the 21st century, urban park/recreational space projects that

function in infrastructural scale and scope are introduced to the city to bridge the existing gaps by interweaving itself between grey infrastructures.

These designs straddle the field of urban planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and urban furniture design simultaneously, shuttle between the city’s scale and the body scale.

Design strategies that foster body-scale space-making are particularly highlighted in the following analyses, documenting how design can establish in-situ experiences that is not engulfed by the massiveness of the site.

public space can suture fragmented by massive infrastructures.

BICIVIA 7

designer: batlleiroig (BIR) year: 2018

description: The linear park/bike lane/footpath is a project that establishes a new urban network that connects Barcelona city with the adjacent outskirt district. The design extends the end of Diagonal Avenue (the longest arterial road that cut through the city) and runs parallel with Highway B-23, threading the urban fabric by providing a 1km (0.55 miles) long, accessible walkways and bike lanes. The linear park is active with fluid movements and intermittent corners of lingering. Without any stairs, the design gently ramps up and down and interweaves itself among highways. The design demonstrates how by yielding 1-2 car lanes to pedestrians and bikers, the lived experience and public well-being can be significantly transformed.

ENTANGLING WITH EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE4-TIER STRATEGY

by yielding a width of less than 2 car lanes for pedestrians and bikers, the urban lived experience can be significantly improved.

intermittent lingering areas in the linear park

elevated from the highways, the park creates a safer environment for pedestrians and bikers and provides balcony views of the bustling traffic.

retaining walls and handrails run along the park, becoming significant design elements to demonstrate caring in detail.

intertwining with highway infrastructures.

vegetation buffers create a linear urban oasis in parallel with heavy vehicular traffic.

BesòsRiver

PARC DE LA TRINITAT

designer: batlleiroig (BIR) year: 1993

description: The park is situated between converging arterial roads, highways, and railroads. Aiming to transform the “terrain vague” (Solà-Morales, 1995) condition, the design extended the activity area of a neighborhood and stitched the park with the urban fabric to enliven the leftover space shaded under intertwining infrastructures. The Park uses multi-tier and multi-ring strategies to work with the elevation change of the existing neighborhood, different levels of highway infrastructure, and the metro station. There are several entrances on each tier, threading between the park and the neighborhood. Through ramps, stairs, and “doorways” created by highway overhangs, every tier hits the grade and provides fluid connections for commuting, leisure, and sport. The rings of the park support distinct activities, creating smaller pockets among the vastness of the park. The total area of the park is capable to hold large events (e.g. La Merce festival for kids), lightening up the space with laughter that echoes between massive concrete infrastructures.

A PARK WITHIN THE HIGHWAY SPAGHETTI

Trinitat Vella neighborhood

BesòsRiver

above: the park viewed from the road close to the highway infrastructure

below: highway infrastructure viewed from the park

mid tier

high tier

multi-tier and multi-ring strategy

vegetation design giving structure to the park

TIERS AND RINGS FORMED THROUGH TOPOGRAPHY

topography and vegetation curating experience

tiers 1-3 (low to high)

2nd tier

1-2 tier

2nd tier

3rd tier

tiers 1-3 (low to high)

3rd tier

1st tier

2nd tier

people moving from tier 1 to 3 (low to high)

ACTIVITES DIAGRAM

La Merce children’s festival

The inner ring of the park is composed of accessible paths

kids playing hide and seek, using trashcans to hide

bumpy tree trunk initiates a climbing competition between kids

event spaces formed by topography change and vegetation placements

a double allee of London Planes as the welcoming threshold between the neighborhood and the park