Barcelona

GPS allows people to navigate cities and landscapes without needing help from maps and makes it possible to consult and accumulate vast information about a specific place. At the same time, however, GPS drastically reduces the possibility of interpreting the complex spatial relationships that exist in cities. The texts in this book offer opinions and suggestions that come about by travelling around the city of Barcelona without using GPS. They are the result of a less guided, more curious stroll that still requires maps and stories to uncover the reasons for a given route to understand the beauty of the city’s streets, architecture, uniqueness, and features. The texts are also the result of a series of observations that have been crafted after years of explaining the dynamics of urban planning to architecture students in Barcelona. The comments are often reactions to specific initiatives and aim to offer changes to make Barcelona a better city that is able to adapt to new times and the needs of its inhabitants.