Comments on: Industrial Graveyard To Hot Innovation Center http://citiwire.net/post/1432/ Leaving behind the 20th century pattern of cheap energy, endless automobility, burgeoning suburbs, threatened inner cities. To a challenge-packed 21st century: energy prices headed north, perilous carbon emissions, deepening have-have not divisions. But a time of exciting promise, too. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:47:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Neal Peirce http://citiwire.net/post/1432/comment-page-1/#comment-923 Neal Peirce Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:29:47 +0000 http://citiwire.net/?p=1432#comment-923 Message from Robert MacLean: This column was a compelling a reminder both of what enlightened city planning can be and of my own experience with Poblenou. In 1998 I took a group of architecture students to Barcelona for a Summer Design Studio. We engaged in a project in Poblenou with the guidance of the city's Planning Department. The students each designed an individual building for the district but were asked to think collaboratively toward creating a better community. Ideologically we were guided by the writings of Oriol Bohigas, especially Reconstruccion de Barcelona. In his book Bohigas provided a set of design theories that emphasized citizen participation, that promoted the role of design professionals as the appropriate interpreters of popular culture and emerging technology, and that demanded the active role of local government to oversee development. It is indeed gratifying to read, eleven years later, of the progress in Poblenou which is a fitting tribute to the early planning guidance given by Bohigas. He championed the concept of "benign metastasis" which reasoned that well placed and well conceived urban interventions would regenerate their entire surroundings due to their positive influence. American city planning entities could profit greatly from understanding Bohigas' city rebuilding strategies. Robert MacLean Professor Emeritus College of Architecture University of North Carolina Charlotte Message from Robert MacLean:
This column was a compelling a reminder both of what enlightened city planning can be and of my own experience with Poblenou.
In 1998 I took a group of architecture students to Barcelona for a Summer Design Studio. We engaged in a project in Poblenou with the guidance of the city’s Planning Department. The students each designed an individual building for the district but were asked to think collaboratively toward creating a better community. Ideologically we were guided by the writings of Oriol Bohigas, especially Reconstruccion de Barcelona. In his book Bohigas provided a set of design theories that emphasized citizen participation, that promoted the role of design professionals as the appropriate interpreters of popular culture and emerging technology, and that demanded the active role of local government to oversee development.
It is indeed gratifying to read, eleven years later, of the progress in Poblenou which is a fitting tribute to the early planning guidance given by Bohigas. He championed the concept of “benign metastasis” which reasoned that well placed and well conceived urban interventions would regenerate their entire surroundings due to their positive influence.
American city planning entities could profit greatly from understanding Bohigas’ city rebuilding strategies.

Robert MacLean
Professor Emeritus
College of Architecture
University of North Carolina Charlotte

]]> By: Beth Humstone http://citiwire.net/post/1432/comment-page-1/#comment-906 Beth Humstone Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:03:21 +0000 http://citiwire.net/?p=1432#comment-906 Neal, I am headed to Barcelona in November and look forward to seeing this! Thanks for a fascinating piece. Beth Neal, I am headed to Barcelona in November and look forward to seeing this! Thanks for a fascinating piece. Beth

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