Participation process associated with the Punctual Modification of the PGO of Can Coll in Torrelles de Llobregat

Participation process associated with the Punctual Modification of the PGO of Can Coll in Torrelles de Llobregat

The planning process is complex and often slower than we would like. This is the case of the Can Coll sector, an area of ​​mainly residential development on the edge of Torrelles de Llobregat and in contact with Non-Developable Land. This is an environment that is not finished running for various reasons.

In 2019, the Metropolitan Area of ​​Barcelona (AMB) in collaboration with Torrelles de Llobregat City Council began drafting the Modification of the General Planning Plan (MPGO) in order to find a solution that consolidates this area and allow this process to be closed, minimizing the environmental impact and the inconvenience to the residents of the town.

It is in this context that this participatory process has been carried out, with the aim that this new MPGO allows responding to the needs of all those affected, both those who currently live in the area and those of the rest of the town.

One of the strong points of the project has been to clarify the information and make it reach as many people as possible, thus generating a space for debate from which to guarantee the possibility of getting involved and thus participating in the decision-making process. To this end, various open actions (informative and deliberative), sectoral meetings, online participation channels or an exhibition at the Ateneu Torrellenc, among others, have been held.

Place

Torrelles de Llobregat

[6.186 inhabitants]

Scale

Municipal

Type of project

Citizen cooperation

Duration

4 months [2021]

Promoter

Municipality of Torrelles de

Llobregat

 

Team

*estel (Marc Deu Ferrer,

Konstantina Chrysostomou,

Alba Domínguez Ferrer,

Arnau Boix i Pla)

 

Collaborators

Neighbors of Torrelles de

Llobregat

Government Measure and Study of gender inequalities in municipal facilities and spaces

Government Measure and Study of gender inequalities in municipal facilities and spaces

Government measures are an informational tool of the municipal government that present actions of general interest. In this case, the Government Measure aims to integrate a gender perspective into the design and management of municipal facilities and their surroundings. Its objectives are:

  • Provide criteria for incorporating a gender perspective into the design of public facilities.
  • Establish processes, references, and regulations for introducing this perspective into the design and evaluation of public facilities.
  •  Define and provide tools for the inclusion of a gender perspective in  public facility design.

In this way, the goal is to create accessible and versatile buildings for various activities, with a special focus on increasing green areas and lactation spaces, as well as the incorporation of furniture adapted for everyone. Through this Measure, a network of municipal restrooms and care spaces will be promoted, along with the creation of protocols to prevent and address gender-based violence. Additionally, the aim is to make the indoor spaces of the facilities comfortable, well-lit, with natural ventilation, and good sound insulation, all accompanied by clear and well-structured layouts to facilitate their use.

This initiative arises from a study that highlights a gender gap in the use of facilities, with an unequal trend towards feminization. Revealing data shows that women use certain facilities more than men, such as neighborhood daily consumption stores, specialized establishments, banks, primary care centers, senior centers, educational institutions, social service centers, and libraries.

To ensure an objective approach, a new methodology for the study and evaluation of existing facilities has been proposed, as well as recommendations for future designs. This measure represents a significant step towards a more inclusive and egalitarian society where all individuals can enjoy equitable access and use of municipal facilities, regardless of their gender.

Place

Barcelona

[1,620,343 inhabitants]

Scale

Municipal

Type of project

Urban Strategies


Urban pedagogy

Duration

6 months [2021]

Promoter

Barcelona City Council’s

Department of Gender

Services and Times Policies

 

Commission for Social Rights,

Culture and Sports (Municipal

Council of Barcelona)

 

Barcelona Regional Urban

Development Agency, S.A.

 

Team

*estel (Alba Domínguez Ferrer,

Konstantina Chrysostomou,

Marc Deu Ferrer, Arnau Boix i Pla)

 

Barcelona Regional Urban

Development Agency, S.A.

(Ana Paricio Cárceles,

Conchi Berenguer Urrutia)

Study

Read the full report at bcnroc

 

Press

Read more about the project

at www.barcelona.cat

Poligoneres: Diagnosis. Gender Justice in the Industrial Areas on the Right Bank of the Besòs

Poligoneres: Diagnosis.
Gender Justice in the Industrial Areas on the Right Bank of the Besòs

“Poligoneres” is a study that focuses on the industrial areas in the right bank of the Besòs River, including Bon Pastor, Torrent d’Estadella, la Verneda Industrial, and Montsolís. The industrial areas in the right bank of the Besòs require a comprehensive intervention with a gender-inclusive perspective to promote the transformation of urban spaces in terms of accessibility and safety. This transformation aims to ensure that everyone can work, use these industrial areas, and move around the area with full autonomy and equal opportunities. Moreover, it is essential to progressively shift towards an economic model with innovative and social criteria, placing elements of feminist economics at the forefront. This includes promoting quality employment for women, supporting women’s entrepreneurship, and increasing their participation in traditionally male-dominated sectors, thus empowering them within society. Furthermore, it is crucial to ensure that caregiving and other life-sustaining work can be carried out under the best conditions.

Therefore, the strategic objective of “Poligoneres” is twofold: on one hand, it aims to bring about a transformation of the public spaces within the industrial areas based on an urbanism of everyday life. On the other hand, it seeks to make these industrial areas engines for gender justice in the economic world. 

Collaboration in this study is structured into three support blocks: research, writing, and representation.

Place

Barcelona

[1,620,343 inhabitants]

Scale

District

Type of project

Urban Strategies

Urban pedaogy

Duration

5 months [2020-2021]

Promoter

Gender Services and Time

Policy Department, Barcelona

City Council


Barcelona Regional Urban

Development Agency, S.A

 

Team

*estel (Alba Domínguez Ferrer,

Arnau Boix i Pla

Konstantina Chrysostomou,

Marc Deu Ferrer)

 


Barcelona Regional Urban

Development Agency, S.A

(Ana Paricio Cárceles)

Study

Read the full report at

bcnroc

From an abandoned football field to a new community park


Turning the football field of Montornes Nord into a community park

The renewal and revitalization of the abandoned football field of Montornes Nord, a place full of memories for the neighbours, aims to implement a sustainable urban strategy and bring new life to a degraded urban area, according to the needs and ideas of its residents. The project focuses on integrated solutions to improve environmental, transport, and economic mismatches with the surroundings, reduce issues of social exclusion and segregation, to strengthen social cohesion. It enables a comprehensive, participatory, and integrated attitude of all stakeholders, bringing together the expertise and experience of the actors involved. It supports the economical, environmental, and social use of public land and the transition towards the rational use of energy while encouraging cooperation between residents and the municipality. 

For this project, we have developed various tools for gathering information about the residents’ needs, as well as various methods of working with the residents through project-based learning. We have given them space for intergenerational dialogue and exchange of memories and experiences, a community walk to the old football field, playful activities, and games for the incorporation of youth and children’s perspectives to the project and informative sessions with experts regarding the social economy and sports. With these activities, we have established close cooperation between residents and municipal authorities, public services, and other important actors in the neighborhood and the municipality.

The result of this process is a preliminary masterplan for a multifunctional park that synthesizes the experience collected from the participants and suggestions of various polycentric development strategies to the municipality (social, economic, environmental, strategies of spatial planning, mobility, and infrastructure, etc.). 

Regarding the participatory approach, residents of different age groups participated in the planning and assumed active roles and responsibilities for the development of the masterplan and the activation of the place. By engaging every generation in each phase of the process -not only during the co-design but also during the execution of the project and the activation of the park- already increases the sense of connectedness, leading to less vandalism of this public space. Various strategies have been proposed to make the space more attractive and used more frequently by the residents in the meantime increasing the pride and giving a positive attitude toward an improved quality of life in the neighborhood. 

* Project awarded with the AJAC AWARD in the category of Participatory Processes, during the AJAC XII AWARDS  for the projects carried out during the biennium 2018-2020.

Place

Montornès del Vallès

[16,393 inhabitants]

Scale

Public space

Type of project

Urban Strategies

Citizen cooperation

Duration

7 months [2018-2019]

Promoters

Municipality of Montornès

del Vallès

 

Team

*estel (Konstantina

Chrysostomou, Alba

Domínguez, Marc Deu)

 

EKONA

 

Collaborators

Neighbors of Montornès

Nord,

Collectives, Entities and

Associations (environment,

local economy, health and

sports, community),

La Marinada School,

El Satèl·lit Youth Centre,

La Peixera

Presentation

Check the presentation at prezi

 

Press

Read more about the project at

Som Montornès

 

Award

Check the video of the AJAC XII

awards ceremony on youtube

 

Children’s Participatory Budget of Sant Cugat


Children's Participatory Budget of Sant Cugat

Participatory budget is a tool that allows citizens to influence a percentage of the money that the administration allocates each year to investments. Typically, only adults participate, forgetting that a significant percentage of the population, young people and children, are left out.

In this project, a working proposal is created for girls, boys, and youngsters up to 16 years old to decide on how to invest a total of 200,000 euros made available by the city council. Through sessions in the Children’s Council and the Youth Council, actions in schools, and prioritization votes, improvement proposals are co-designed and technically validated by the Estel team and the city council staff involved in the project.

Some of the ideas that have been developed and executed include installing water fountains in the streets and play areas, making areas accessible for outdoor sports, building a vegetated maze for playing, equipping a space for parkour, or adding “facing” benches that encourage social interactions in public spaces. It is worth noting that beyond the functions of these elements, the interventions also have a pedagogical component for children, young people, and the rest of the population, who can see to what extent the smallest members of society are capable of making decisions that affect the entire population.

Place

Sant Cugat del Vallès 

[95.725 inhabitants]

Scale

Municipal

Type of project

Citizen cooperation

Duration

5 months [2022]

Promoter

Municipality of Sant Cugat del

Vallés

 

Team

*estel (Marc Deu Ferrer, Oriol

Serra Ureta, Roser García

Piqué, Konstantina

Chrysostomou, Alba

Domínguez Ferrer, Arnau Boix

i Pla)

 

Collaborators

Consell d’Infants de Sant

Cugat del Vallès and Consell

Jove de Sant Cugat del Vallès

Press

Read more about the project

at the plataform

decidim.santcugat

Manual for the implementation of “School Pathways” at Sant Boi de Llobregat


Manual for the implementation of “School Pathways” at Sant Boi de Llobregat

The guide aims to facilitate and collect the implementation of the project “School Paths” that are developed in Sant Boi de Llobregat, so that all these initiatives follow the same line and pursue objectives agreed upon by the entire educational community of the municipality. In addition, it wants to give continuity and consolidate a series of actions for the improvement of the active mobility that has been promoted in the municipality in recent years from citizens, entities, and collectives.

This manual is a complex document. Here you can find on the one hand the methodology for the application of the School Paths program, and on the other hand, a first analysis of the educational centers. Regarding the latter, the manual focuses on the mobility dynamics, the physical environment which surrounds the educational centers, and it pays special attention to topics such as gender perspective, biodiversity, and citizen cooperation.

The project begins with the aim of continuing the study of School Paths that had recently been carried out with the participation of Riera de Ribes School among others. The proposal, therefore, reflects the desire of a significant part of the neighborhood residents to improve the conditions of Avinguda 11 de Setembre and Passeig de la Circumval·lació, axes with significant importance in connecting the old town center and various community facilities such as the healthcare center (CAP), the sports center, and the educational center itself.

The proposal starts from the idea of reversing the current situation where the car is the main protagonist of the space and giving this role to pedestrians and people who travel by bicycle or scooter. The implementation of a bike lane and the improvement of the current sidewalks, both in terms of accessibility and comfort, are the main objectives that have been pursued. In this line, there has also been a commitment to plant vegetation of different types to increase soil permeability levels and enrich the neighborhood’s biodiversity, while also improving the perceptual experience of everyone who takes these routes.

Place

Sant Boi de Llobregat 

[82.904 inhabitants]

Scale

Municipality

Type of project

Urban strategy

Duration

12 months [2020]

Promoter

Municipality of Sant Boi de

Llobregat

 

Team

*estel (Marc Deu Ferrer,

Alba Domínguez Ferrer,

Konstantina

Chrysostomou

Arnau Boix i Pla)

Benifairó de la Valldigna’s Urban and Sustainable Mobility Plan


Benifairó de la Valldigna’s Urban and Sustainable Mobility Plan

Benifairó de la Valldigna, like the rest of the neighboring towns and cities, has experienced in recent decades an evolutionary process of its mobility based on unsustainable parameters over time.

Often the high presence of private vehicles means that many of the other activities that take place in the street are relegated to the background, either because of the difficulty or danger of developing them simultaneously, or directly because of the lack of space.

It is in this context that this study is being developed, which aims to reverse these dynamics and establish a viable action plan adjusted to the needs that will make it possible and improve the quality of public space. To do this, a complete diagnosis of the current reality has been carried out, which contemplates both the analysis of the capacities and the intensities of use of the road network with different modes of transport, as well as the coexistence of these journeys with the other activities that take place on public roads, linked to the development of the daily life of its inhabitants.

Place

Benifairó de la Valldigna

[1.542 inhabitants]

Scale

Municipal

Type of project

Urban Strategies

Duration

8 months [2020-2021]

Promoter

Municipality of Benifairó

de la Valldigna

 

Team

*estel (Marc Deu Ferrer,

Arnau Boix i Pla, Konstantina

Chrysostomou, Alba

Domínguez Ferrer)

Pau Avellaneda

 

Collaborators

Neighbors of Benifairó

de la Valldigna

Territori Jujol in schools


Territori Jujol in schools

The Territori Jujol in schools initiative aims to recognize and bring the figure and work of Jujol closer to the children from the territory itself, following the proposal of the Territori Jujol initial project, putting children at the centre of reflection, with the aim that they will be an active part of the project and help to broaden its impact on the educational community and on the public.

The proposal is based on the work carried out, and the documentation collected within the framework of the Territori Jujol project, an initiative developed by the Reus Higher Technical School of Architecture and COFO architects.

The activities, carried out inside and outside the classroom, have as a goal to explore the children’s ideas, to extend it using the didactic material to other educational centres and the citizens. One of the objectives, is to generate, through work in schools, a network of complicity between the municipalities that form the Jujol Territory.

The general objectives of the project are:

  • Learn the work and biography of Jujol.
  • Include children in the process of learning and reading the work and the character of Jujol from the projects located in the municipality. 
  • Dealing with topics such as design, materiality, landscape, Jujol’s biography through a creative process.
  • Disseminate the works of Territori Jujol in the school, beyond the students who directly participate in the activity.
  • Promote the networking of the schools of the different municipalities that work on the projects of the Jujol Territory.

In order to achieve the objectives of the series of workshops, it is proposed to work both experientially and conceptually, and thus understand the complexity of the figure of Jujol from the point of view of his creative thinking and his ability to transform reality.

This cycle of workshops addresses a process of joint creation that begins with a visit to a Jujol work adopted by the school, and which then and during the following work sessions will give shape to the ideas of the students . This work is conveyed around 5 key concepts, which will allow us to link Jujol’s work with the children’s work, applying them in the transformation of an everyday object into something different.

The 5 workshops are:

  • Workshop 1 – We discover Jujol [raise awareness, motivate, experiment]: activity carried out in the adopted work, which consists of a guided tour and which aims to bring the creation of Jujol closer to the students in a direct and experiential way.
  • Workshop 2 – We rediscover Jujol [experience, analyze]: activity carried out in the classroom, with the aim of deciphering the concepts to Jujol’s methodology for his works, and experiencing it individually.
  • Workshop 3 – We think how to Jujol [imagine, collaborate]: activity carried out in the classroom, with the aim of defining the main lines of a collective creation of a larger format.
  • Workshop 4 – We create like Jujol [transform, collaborate]: activity carried out in the classroom, with the aim of working together to develop the ideas defined in the third workshop.
  • Workshop 5a – We explain Jujol [explain] : autonomous activity in the classroom led by the teachers. It consists of making a recording where each group explains their work.
  • Workshop 5b – We celebrate Jujol [do, share]: closing activity, to share the results and disseminate the work done. This part takes place outside the school and is open to all citizens.

Each one of the workshops is accompanied by an audiovisual capsule where the facilitators of Territori Jujol begin to introduce some of the topics that will be worked on in the face-to-face workshop. They aim to motivate and present key concepts.

In this pilot test there are two schools participating in the project, with a total of 3 class groups:

  • The Bràfim School: in this case, the activity is carried out with the upper primary cycle (class group made up of boys and girls from 5th and 6th grade).
  • The School Arquitecte Jujol dels Pallaresos: In this case, the activity will be carried out with the 5th year of primary school, made up of two class groups.

The idea is that once the process is finished, this process can be extended to other schools.

Place

Tarragona

[135,966 inhabitants]

Scale

Supra-municipal

Type of project

Citizen cooperation

Duration

5 months [2022]

Promoter

Territori Jujol 

Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Fundació “la Caixa”

 

Team

*estel (Uri Serra, Konstantina

Chrysostomou, Marc Deu

Ferrer, Arnau Boix i Pla, Alba

Domínguez Ferrer)

Roger Miralles Jori

 

Collaborators

María González Cañadell

Guillem Fonts Ferrando 

Bràfim School educational

team

Pallaresos School

educational team

Presentation

Watch the videos on YouTube

En Orbita, “Projecte Singular” of Social Economy


En Orbita, “Projecte Singular” of Social Economy

Our cooperative has been able to start the “En Orbita” project since we have been awarded one of the grants for “Projects Singulars,” promoted by the Social Economy program, the “Generalitat de Catalunya” and the “Ministerio de Trabajo y Economía Social,” for 2022.

It is an initiative that aims to promote and strengthen community relations between the people of a territory through the dissemination and practice of participatory culture applied to the improvement of its urban habitat. It’s about recognizing capabilities, tidying them up, and activating them: putting them into orbit.

In this context, talks and debates are scheduled where we invite both our regular collaborators and the neighborhood’s people, and awareness-raising actions are promoted in the public space or educational and informative capsules about Cooperative Urbanism. As a result of this work, and to consolidate learning and disseminate these values, a series of materials will be generated that will be available once the project is finished.

Place

Catalunya 

[7.710.136 inhabitants]

Scale

Supra-municipal

Type of project

Citizen cooperation

Duration

12 months [2022]

Promoter

Economia Social,

Generalitat de Catalunya,

Ministerio de Trabajo y

Economía Social

 

Equip redactor

*estel (Konstantina

Chrysostomou, Arnau Boix i

Pla, Alba Domínguez Ferrer,

Marc Deu Ferrer, Oriol Serra

Ureta,  Roser Garcia i Piqué)

 

Collaborators

Estel* communiy

Presentation

Watch on YouTube the videos

of the series of talks

“Urbanisme de les persones” 

 

Watch on YouTube the

mini-interviews

“Urbanisme cooperatiu”

Executive project of the Plaça del Pi (Phase 2)


Executive project of the Plaça del Pi (Phase 2)

The urbanization project is the second phase of the transformation of Plaça del Pi, in continuity with the works carried out on the other side of Ricardo Romero street, at the entrance to “Jaume II El Just“ public school.

The proposal is made of conversations held with the teaching team of the educational center. It aims to alleviate the public space giving priority to the pedestrian and increase the play and stay spaces of the Plaza del Pi to facilitate the development of related activities to everyday life and improve the relationship between the nursery building and the rest of the square.

The design of the square is organized from a large esplanade of compacted sand, the planting of new plant species, trees, and shrubs, and the installation of new living elements that also act as potential play areas. The project also seeks to redefine the perimeter fence of the building to improve the visual connectivity of the building with the street and to take advantage of part of the interior spaces as new public spaces available to the general public.

Place

Benifairó de la Valldigna 

[1.592 inhabitants]

Scale

Public space

Type of project

Public space design

Duration

4 months [2020]

Promoter

Municipality of Benifairó de la

Valldigna and Diputació de

València

 

Team

*estel (Marc Deu Ferrer i

Konstantina Chrysostomou,

Alba Domínguez Ferrer, Arnau

Boix i Pla)

7a+i arquitectura i enginyeria

 

Collaborators

Educational centre of

Benifairó de la

Valldigna