Does a ‘Barcelona Model’ Really Exist? Periods, Territories and Actors in the Process of Urban Transformation
Abstract The so-called ‘Barcelona Model’ of urban regeneration is known world-wide as a ‘success story’. Amongst the most frequently mentioned features of this ‘model’ are: the use of major events – such as the Olympic Games – as catalysts for great urban regeneration; the adoption of a relational mode of urban governance based on the collaboration between different tiers of government, public and private bodies; the political and administrative decentralisation and the participation of the citizenship. However, the ‘Barcelona Model’ has also received strong criticism from certain segments of the city's academic elite and several local social movements. This article calls into question the mere existence of one ‘Barcelona Model’. It highlights how the main strategies of urban public policy have changed in different periods. It illustrates that, territorially speaking, the strategies of urban regeneration have also been very varied. Eventually, it shows that the networks of urban actors involved in processes of urban change have been significantly diverse. Some learning elements for the analysis of urban regeneration are highlighted at the end of the article.
Desarrollo urbano, coaliciones de poder y participación ciudadana en Barcelona: una narrativa desde la geografía crítica
Con un enfoque desde la geografia critica, el articulo aborta la evolucion de la gobernanza y las estrategias de desarrollo urbano y economico en Barcelona. Se analiza la reorientacion paulatina de la politica local, desde un modelo de gestion y redistribucion social iniciada en los anos ochenta, hacia una politica dominada por la promocion de imagen y las plusvalias del suelo. Se identifica el punto de inflexion, las caracteristicas de los agentes involucrados y las dinamicas en la toma de decisiones, abordando los cambios de narrativa promocional y planificacion a partir del 2010, desde la escala de ciudad a la escala metropolitana. El articulo concluye con una reflexion sobre la necesidad de una gobernanza local mas inclusiva.
The Mound on the Mount: A Possible Solution to the Problem with Jerusalem
Following Knauf's suggestion (2000), the article raises the possibility that in most periods in the second and first millennia BCE the main built-up area of Jerusalem was limited to a mound on the Temple Mount. This mound, which may have covered an area of five hectares and more, was boxed-in under the Herodian platform. At these periods activity in the City of David ridge was restricted to the area near the Gihon spring. In the Iron IIB and late Hellenistic Periods the fortified settlement expanded simultaneously to both the City of David ridge and the southwestern hill. In these two periods there was no need to fortify the western side of the City of David, as this line ran in the middle of the city.