ASSIGNMENT 01C – RESPONSE TO STUDY OF SUPERILLAS
- Describe the general theoretical framework evolved from Salvador Rueda about Social Interaction and Cohesion (use, infrastructure, demographics). Consider going to the website BCNecologia but only for background – you will not find specific information to this there.
The general theoretical framework for this paper and research comes from Salvador Rueda’s definition of a city. This definition outlines the components that make up the city as: “interacting processes of land use, livability, mobility, urban complexity, biodiversity, metabolism, social interaction, and policy.” The research described in this paper focuses on the category of social interaction, using concepts from other categories, such as livability (in the analysis of average rents) or mobility (in the analysis of public and private transportation), to analyze the proliferation or lack of social interactions.
- Describe two to three urban qualities within the primary social interaction categories and find how they are measured in the circle diagrams. Identify an associated ecological phenomena such as air, water and heat/light.
“Urban qualities” described in this paper are modified from those originally described by Salvador Rueda. These qualities are described as: “ 1) land uses of social space, social services and social housing; adding job access 2) demographic differences of age, income and culture, eliminating education; and 3) infrastructure such as transit and adding information technology.” These qualities are broken into subcategories in the definition listed above, and each of these subcategories is listed in the circle diagrams. The subcategories are measured using indicators, the levels of which are recorded in surveys of the city. An example of such an indicator for the category of culture, for example, is the languages in which the menus of the restaurants in the areas being surveyed are written. Many of these subcategories have associated ecological phenomena. For example, an indicator used to analyze transit is the availability of bike parking and bus/metro stops. These “green” modes of transportation have implications for car use in the area, and therefore for local air and water pollution caused by vehicular traffic. Other indicators, such as the distribution of housing types in the area, have implications for energy use and resident density, which may impact light pollution. Still other indicators, such as information about trees and vegetation in the area, impact the urban heat island effect of the blocks being analyzed.
- Describe one example of a pattern that emerged in Barcelona relating a comparison between a Superilla and a comparative space such as Gracia or Enric de Granados.
While both Superillas in Barcelona and the exemplary street Enric de Granados were locations with high levels of social interaction, these places achieved these high levels in different ways. The main difference between these two urban spaces (aside from morphology) consists of the distribution of functions that draws people to the space. Superillas, and other social urban parts of Barcelona like Gracia, have places where essential resources, such as groceries, meals, and drinks are both more commonly found and more affordable. In Enric de Granados, it is exactly the opposite of this, scarcity, which drives user attraction. The presence of services and products which are new and/or difficult to find makes this street “trendy” and attracts visitors drawn to the social capital that accompanies this trendiness. (Similarities between these two places include access to public services like public transport and free public wifi.)