1CWritting_FrancoMelanie
Salvador Rueda, framework for social interaction and cohesion revolved around the Geospatial analysis tool. This tool was also described to be a ‘social simulator’ that measures social cohesion for Ruedas study. The Geospatial tool was used to measure social characteristics to then gather information to understand the biology of an urban system through occupant’s interactions with the space and each other. Rueda relied on three categories for his study, the first being, land use of space, demographic differences in the space, and the infrastructure within that space. These three categories and the use of the Geospatial analysis tool ultimately allowed him to gather enough information for the development, organization and design of the Superilla’s.
Examples of urban qualities that are within the social interaction categories include use of land, such as social services and social housing, demographic difference, such as age, and infrastructure, or transit. These characteristics of urban qualities can be graphically presented through a circle diagram, a diagram in which visually presents the issues of these characteristics through its sub qualities, and the issues or positives within them. The circle diagram is meant to have a deep dive into specific qualities to then expose what specific characteristics in those urban qualities can be enhanced to introduce a better functioning urban system. Much like the presented urban qualities, ecological factors also contribute in the process of using social interaction to identify people’s reaction to urban qualities. A prominent example would be heat, when temperature increases to an extreme point people will accommodate to the change by always moving into the shade. This again demonstrates, much like the urban qualities, how outside factors result in changes in social interaction, similarly it also expresses how social interaction affects urban qualities as well.
A pattern that emerged in Barcelona when making a comparison between a Superilla and a comparative space in Gracia, is that the places such as Gracia, demonstrate to have a higher degree of social interaction based on the design of the city. Gracia presents to have qualities that introduce higher amounts of walking, biking, and overall hospital areas for various activities. This differs from Barcelona, as it is dictated by automobiles and motorcycles, and ultimately limits the amount of social interaction that Gracia’s city plans introduce.