Mientras que mi web professional muestra las obras de mi despacho como arquitecto, este blog recopila documentación sobre una serie de actividades que desarrollo en paralelo a él. El ejercicio internacional de la profesión, las entidades entorno a las que se organizan los arquitectos o la reflexión sobre los modos de intervención en la ciudad constituyen los principales puntos de atención, al tiempo que se facilita el acceso a una serie de enlaces relacionados.

la calle, tan simple y tan compleja
























La calle constituye la base de la urbanidad, el elemento fundacional que aglutina las edificaciones y el canal a través del cual se nutre la vida urbana. De ahí su trascendencia. Y de ahí también la importancia de su configuración física en la determinación de las características de nuestras ciudades. Pero las calles no son elementos aislados; forman parte de un tejido complejo en el cual distintas vías conectan entre sí y enlazan esos espacios públicos singulares que son las plazas, los parques y los jardines. Una calle es pues, pese a su aparente sencillez, un elemento de alta complejidad. Para abordarla correctamente no caben reduccionismos ni lecturas monotemáticas. Se impone la visión global y una participación amplia que implique tanto a especialistas como a usuarios.

Bajo estas premisas, desarrollo en el último número de la revista Paisea un artículo que reflexiona sobre la calle como espacio público primigenio e identifica diversos aspectos cruciales en el momento de abordar su proyectación.




The street forms the basis of urban existence and is its founding feature, bringing together buildings. It's also the channel that feeds urban life. This is what makes it so important and what makes its physical configuration a key feature in defining our cities. But streets are not isolated elements; they form part of a complex network in which different types of thoroughfare are connected to one another and link up with other special public spaces -squares, parks, gardens. The street, then, is highly complex. The correct approach should not be based on reductionism or single issue interpretations. What we need is a global vision and wider participation, with the involvement of both specialists and users.

These assumptions brought me to develop an introductory article, in the latest issue of the journal Paisea, that reflects on the street as a basic public space and identifies several crucial aspects when addressing its design.

10 comentarios:

  1. Shohreh Ne recomienda esto.

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  2. Excellent article Jordi.

    The notion of complete streets was so ably covered by Alan Jacobs' "Great Streets". The issue of making the street and the adjoining buildings and spaces integrated is something that is sadly ignored in so many contemporary designs. Plus, political intervention on behalf of development interests destroys many efforts to create the complete streets that we so enjoy in pre-WW2 Canada and America.

    Ron Marini

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  3. Kevin Cricchio recomienda esto.

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  4. Katia Osokine recomienda esto.

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  5. Thanks for your comments, Ron. Streets are certainly disregarded in many places around the world. Luckily enough concern is growing and will hopefully create a completely different mood.

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  6. I hope you are right about the growing concern, Jordi. In my experience as a Planner, the focus has usaully been on the private lands and their control, while Engineers concerned themselves with the public road allowance. I would say it is only in the last 15-20 years has the notion of complete streets and Planners injecting their views on what happens on and next to the public street shown some meaningful growth. I am wondering if the planning schools are focussing on the street and how to treat it as a whole unit and not as pieces, with each piece the domain of a specific discipline.

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  7. Mohammed Ahmed recomienda esto.

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  8. The perception is probably different in different parts of the world. Many European schools have incorporated the idea while works across the continent show a more integrative attitude. It's when I read things like the one on the link below that I start to believe that concern is growing. I do agree, however, that we are far from where we should be.

    http://www.thepolisblog.org/2012/06/brussels-residents-picnic-to-reclaim.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&goback=.gmr_69691.gde_69691_member_126839621

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  9. Michele Curel recomienda esto.

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  10. Miguel Jiménez Salvador27 de septiembre de 2012, 10:44

    Miguel Jiménez Salvador recomienda esto.

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