I believe that people who favor outdoor spaces are lovers of beauty and leisure, and I find this facet of Barcelona's culture deeply endearing. Ten percent of Barcelona is covered in parks, offering a spectrum of historic areas, botanical gardens, urban parks, and forested preserves. Whether Barcelona's parks are large and formal or tiny and rustic, what they all have in common is a celebration of space, and a blurring of the line between public and private space.
image sourceAs a landscape architect, it is the public spaces of Barcelona that I consider the heart and soul of the city. While there are many things to love about Barcelona, things that you can find in any guidebook or travel blog, there are subtle, nuanced bits of magic crammed into the nooks and crannies of Barcelona that simply must be experienced in person to be fully appreciated. These things exist primarily in the city's many open spaces. Virtually the entire history of Barcelona can be experienced on foot.
Every chapter in Barcelona's history is somehow reflected in the landscape. Walking along Las Ramblas, it is possible to see the works of Gaudi and the breathtaking waterfront redesign created for the 1992 Olympics. Remnants of Roman walls carve out their niche of history alongside Gothic cathedrals and art nouveau details, all seamlessly contributing to a city that overwhelms the senses with design and beauty.
The largest metropolitan park in the world, Parc de Collserola, is 22 times the size of Central Park and is the only park on earth where it is possible to encounter medieval ruins, Romanesque churches, amusement parks, and works by famous modern architects while strolling. At Tibidabo, the park's highest point, a Parc d'Atracciones offers antique rides from the 1920s contrasted by modern roller coasters. Nearby, the 288 meter high Torre de Collserola -designed by British architect Norman Foster- provides Barcelona's most impressive view.
While Barcelona appears tailor-made for tourism, the social makeup of public spaces indicates the city actually caters to its own. Public art and performance by locals peppers every step, and Catalonians coexist with foreigners in every public venue. Sidewalk cafes lining the streets create a gentle cacophony of world languages, as guests from every corner of the world convene to enjoy the mild Mediterranean climate and cuisine. Public holidays in Barcelona are marked by the closure of most retail outlets and a migration of the city's population to parks and plazas. During holidays and festivals, the open spaces of the city bring her inhabitants together.
Anyone who has every been to Barcelona recalls their time there with their eyes starry and out-of-focus, their voices soft and dreamy. For me, this dreaminess stems from a city whose culture is preserved in public spaces, like insects in amber. Catalan culture is a vibrant and beating thing, best represented in the open air, beneath the sky. Old and young, ancient and modern, all coincide in Barcelona's landscape, its gift to the modern world.
