I did a similar deep dive into Cerdà last time I was in Barcelona. You are right about the greedy developers bastardizing plans. All those fascinating inner courtyards that you see so clearly on Google Maps were supposed to be accessible to all, or at least have street access that could be gated. Protected, but not exclusive gardens for kids to play freely and neighbors to meet. If I remember correctly, in L‘Eixample, there was an effort to open up those with locked gates, so neighbors from blocks in which their courtyard was filled by developers could enjoy. Do you know anything about this (is my memory correct, is this an ongoing effort)?
Great writing! It is a true gift to live here. Being in a city that has intentional city planning makes a tremendous amount of difference and I don't think people even realize what they're missing.
Thank you, Olivia. Unfortunately, many of those plans have been ignored over the years. But you still see the benefits of thoughtful design in every corner of the city. I look forward to reading your Barcelona tales!
One of the most fascinating cities anywhere. But apparently, they don't want me, or you, or anyone who isn't a Barcelonan to visit, which makes it uncomfortable. And I dislike being sprayed with water guns just because their government allows apartments to be transformed into tourist rentals and the city has more cruise ship arrivals than any city in Europe—with the approval of the city fathers. I've got a Substack story coming out tomorrow morning, which will probably make you (and everyone in Barcelona) hate me. It's OK. I've got a thick skin.
I look forward to it! I get the perspective. I'm sure you're up on the latest move by the government against cruise ships. To me the issue is the "approval of city fathers." The mass tourism issue issues are always the result of government decision. As an aside, I gotta say the squirt gun incident, as blatant PR stunts go, was highly successful. It really was a one-off demonstration for one day. Yet it has taken hold in the zeitgeist. Tourists constantly express their fear they will be assaulted by squirt-gun-toting radicals in Barcelona. https://kevinbrass.substack.com/p/barcelona-takes-action-against-cruise?r=rygc&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
I live in New York. I've been robbed at gunpoint and with a broken bottle at my throat. If someone comes at me with a water gun, let's see what happens! Looking forward to reading your future posts, Kevin.
I LOVE Barcelona. There’s so much amazing charm and I’m happy the city is doing things to keep it from being bulldozed by mass tourism (like cruise ship stops).
Mate, I agree with all of this. Ive just been working on the Barcelona bits of my travel book on the Med and your perspective very much aligns with my views - which kind of makes me feel good after a few heavy writing days, knowing Im not misreading the place (too much) as a relative newbie. Love your insights. Keep em coming...
Great article, Kevin. I’ve had a similar experience. The first time I visited I was non-plussed. But now I have a friend who lives there who has shown me some different areas and I am beginning to see the charm.
Thank you for this love letter to a gorgeous city. I enjoyed your perspective on the real Barcelona, including its tortured past and its artsy, rebellious, and sometimes seedy vibe. And loved the humility at the end, the admission of being "a dumbass American". We need more of that.
Yes, we love to walk here - if it's a thirty minute walk or less, we'll just walk instead of taking transport as we always find interesting things along the way. It's funny because having moved here from Phoenix, where we would think nothing of a 45-minute drive to get somewhere, or an hour commute each way to work, now that we're in Barcelona, we've found our sense of "long trip" is way out of whack with people here. We don't even notice having to spend 30 minutes getting somewhere to meet friends, then our friends will be like "oh my gosh sorry you had to travel so far!".
And yes, I too was drawn by the urban design here. The superblocks are amazing. And living somewhere where it truly is easy to not have a car, wonderful.
One thing that I think most people who visit Barcelona don't realize is it's quite gritty - not just gorgeous architecture and sparkling glasses of sangria in pretty plazas. It grates my nerves when I scroll through Notes and see yet another over-saturated sunset-hour picture of the Sagrada Familia or an aerial shot of the Eixample, as though that is Barcelona in a nutshell. So over-simplified.
I'm curious what you mean by "the times it turns into a crazed shitshow" - not trying to be snarky, just genuinely curious. Yesterday on our walk to the gym, there was a massive traffic jam at Sardenya/Litoral - not sure if there was a wreck, or if streets were blocked for a protest, or what was going on but it was a disaster. Makes me glad that we ditched our car when we left the States and have no plans to have one here.
Thanks, Les. Good point about the grittiness. To me, it has the feel of a real working city and that grit is part of the vibe. It's not a theme park. It remains a place where people live and work. A lot of tourists are put off by that element, especially the graffiti. But even the grafitti hasan art to it...
As for crazed shitshow moments, I would include strikes, protests, politics, scandals and the never-ending Catalan independence struggles... Thanks again for the comments!
I did a similar deep dive into Cerdà last time I was in Barcelona. You are right about the greedy developers bastardizing plans. All those fascinating inner courtyards that you see so clearly on Google Maps were supposed to be accessible to all, or at least have street access that could be gated. Protected, but not exclusive gardens for kids to play freely and neighbors to meet. If I remember correctly, in L‘Eixample, there was an effort to open up those with locked gates, so neighbors from blocks in which their courtyard was filled by developers could enjoy. Do you know anything about this (is my memory correct, is this an ongoing effort)?
I know about the effort, but don’t know if it made much progress. These are private buildings. Many interesting elements about the plan’s successes and failures. I came across a good article detailing the elements on Cerda’s plan that disappeared… https://failedarchitecture.com/behind-four-walls-barcelonas-lost-utopia/#:~:text=In%20tune%20with%20Cerda's%20original,200m%20radius%20of%20their%20home.
Great writing! It is a true gift to live here. Being in a city that has intentional city planning makes a tremendous amount of difference and I don't think people even realize what they're missing.
Thank you, Olivia. Unfortunately, many of those plans have been ignored over the years. But you still see the benefits of thoughtful design in every corner of the city. I look forward to reading your Barcelona tales!
One of the most fascinating cities anywhere. But apparently, they don't want me, or you, or anyone who isn't a Barcelonan to visit, which makes it uncomfortable. And I dislike being sprayed with water guns just because their government allows apartments to be transformed into tourist rentals and the city has more cruise ship arrivals than any city in Europe—with the approval of the city fathers. I've got a Substack story coming out tomorrow morning, which will probably make you (and everyone in Barcelona) hate me. It's OK. I've got a thick skin.
I look forward to it! I get the perspective. I'm sure you're up on the latest move by the government against cruise ships. To me the issue is the "approval of city fathers." The mass tourism issue issues are always the result of government decision. As an aside, I gotta say the squirt gun incident, as blatant PR stunts go, was highly successful. It really was a one-off demonstration for one day. Yet it has taken hold in the zeitgeist. Tourists constantly express their fear they will be assaulted by squirt-gun-toting radicals in Barcelona. https://kevinbrass.substack.com/p/barcelona-takes-action-against-cruise?r=rygc&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
I live in New York. I've been robbed at gunpoint and with a broken bottle at my throat. If someone comes at me with a water gun, let's see what happens! Looking forward to reading your future posts, Kevin.
I LOVE Barcelona. There’s so much amazing charm and I’m happy the city is doing things to keep it from being bulldozed by mass tourism (like cruise ship stops).
Mate, I agree with all of this. Ive just been working on the Barcelona bits of my travel book on the Med and your perspective very much aligns with my views - which kind of makes me feel good after a few heavy writing days, knowing Im not misreading the place (too much) as a relative newbie. Love your insights. Keep em coming...
Great article, Kevin. I’ve had a similar experience. The first time I visited I was non-plussed. But now I have a friend who lives there who has shown me some different areas and I am beginning to see the charm.
Thank you for this love letter to a gorgeous city. I enjoyed your perspective on the real Barcelona, including its tortured past and its artsy, rebellious, and sometimes seedy vibe. And loved the humility at the end, the admission of being "a dumbass American". We need more of that.
Yes, we love to walk here - if it's a thirty minute walk or less, we'll just walk instead of taking transport as we always find interesting things along the way. It's funny because having moved here from Phoenix, where we would think nothing of a 45-minute drive to get somewhere, or an hour commute each way to work, now that we're in Barcelona, we've found our sense of "long trip" is way out of whack with people here. We don't even notice having to spend 30 minutes getting somewhere to meet friends, then our friends will be like "oh my gosh sorry you had to travel so far!".
And yes, I too was drawn by the urban design here. The superblocks are amazing. And living somewhere where it truly is easy to not have a car, wonderful.
One thing that I think most people who visit Barcelona don't realize is it's quite gritty - not just gorgeous architecture and sparkling glasses of sangria in pretty plazas. It grates my nerves when I scroll through Notes and see yet another over-saturated sunset-hour picture of the Sagrada Familia or an aerial shot of the Eixample, as though that is Barcelona in a nutshell. So over-simplified.
I'm curious what you mean by "the times it turns into a crazed shitshow" - not trying to be snarky, just genuinely curious. Yesterday on our walk to the gym, there was a massive traffic jam at Sardenya/Litoral - not sure if there was a wreck, or if streets were blocked for a protest, or what was going on but it was a disaster. Makes me glad that we ditched our car when we left the States and have no plans to have one here.
Thanks, Les. Good point about the grittiness. To me, it has the feel of a real working city and that grit is part of the vibe. It's not a theme park. It remains a place where people live and work. A lot of tourists are put off by that element, especially the graffiti. But even the grafitti hasan art to it...
As for crazed shitshow moments, I would include strikes, protests, politics, scandals and the never-ending Catalan independence struggles... Thanks again for the comments!