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The Barcelona Blueprint
Once the industrial heart of the region of Catalonia in Spain, Barcelona could have become just another burnt-out, rust-belt European city that had failed to find a role in the modern, globalized world. But what set Barcelona apart from other European cities was a visionary local government which decided on radical redevelopment of the city in the run-up to the 1992 Olympics - a redevelopment that involved all the city's population. The result - Barcelona today is a model 21st century city, combining historic buildings with modern architecture in a fusion that has helped make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.
Filmed in Barcelona, this Life programme was first broadcast in 2001 at the time of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly in New York held to review progress on the Habitat Agenda, the agreements governments around the world signed up to five years ago at the 1996 UN City Summit in Istanbul. The programme starts with a short tour of the city's seafront and docks with Barcelona's Chief Architect Josep Acebillo and UK architect and urban planner Richard Rogers.
What saved Barcelona was a progressive city council which planned for and invested in the future, renovating derelict neighbourhood and the old docks, without destroying the city's old Catalonian charm. For Richard Rogers, Barcelona is "the jewel in the crown which we are trying to achieve in other, in other cities... Nothing's ever perfect but they've got nearer to dealing with the industrial past." He admits the good side of globalisation - you can see the experiences of other cities by visiting or looking at television - but there's a bad side too: "The bad side of it is when you get private investment who have no interest except for a quick buck."
In a studio debate chaired by BBC journalist Steve Bradshaw, architect Acebillo is joined by Kalpana Sharma, Deputy Editor of The Hindu newspaper in India, Gary Lawrence, former urban planner of the city of Seattle, and Michael Parkes, Director of Habitat's Office in Europe. They discuss the achievements of Barcelona and debate what the UN's review will achieve.
Gary Lawrence is impressed with Barcelona: "I think Barcelona has done a magnificent job in, in its urban design - the layout of the city -and by reputation it's a well-governed city." And what Kalpana Sharma appreciated was that "there is this old centre of the city which is a living centre".
But Michael Parkes, Director of the Habitat Liaison Office with the EU, points out that, coming from the airport, you can see new arrivals to the city in squatter settlements - just as you can outside cities in the developing world. He explains the purpose of the UN meeting in New York: "The reality is that half the world live in awful conditions. And there's perhaps over one billion people living with less that a dollar a day - so they haven't got access to the homes, they haven't got houses, they haven't got security. And they probably haven't got access to water and services. So we are attempting to raise the profile of that." This is the century of the city, and "You have to move to actually building houses and roads and sewers, providing the services that people need. . . it's a big wave coming towards us."
Since the Istanbul summit five years ago, globalisation has become a catch phrase. How has globalisation affected the cities we live in? The answer depends on who you ask: one man in Johannesburg says: "It was not yet time for it. We were not ready for globalisation." Another is more positive: "It's one thing to sit here and be isolated and think you're it because the pond is so small. But now if you say Jo'burg, someone's going to compare it to New York, someone's going to compare it to London, and if you live here you're gonna have to work with those standards too. So for me it's competition and it's a good thing and it's put us on the map."
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For Barcelona's Chief Architect Josep Acebillo, globalisation is damaging the small centres of ancient cities through the arrival of McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Benetton. But in the globalised world it's not just money that moves around fast but people. Migrants flood into urban areas creating problems of homelessness and overcrowding in cities around the world. Someone in the street in Sao Paulo puts it like this: "Every day, every day arrived a lot of people in Sao Paulo and other city. Try to - a new life, get money. It's difficult, difficult..."
Kalpana Sharma believes it is "the role of the state, to facilitate the kind of housing which will be affordable to people who are at the bottom of the rung". Michael Parkes agrees: "It's part of the-of the whole human rights story that you need shelter - you need a roof. How can you have dignity; how can you bring up a family?" He also points out that probably 40-50% of developing country city households are female-headed, yet cities aren't built by women or for women. And Gary Lawrence stresses that "without women's voices you can't actually incorporate issues for children".
Kalpana Sharma said that when women were consulted about urban problems in Bombay, they pointed out that children couldn't use the toilets that the municipality were installing. "I think if women are consulted then children's needs are taken care of."
A final important point is governance - and avoiding corruption. Michael Parkes: "The whole point about encouraging governance is addressing the problems of corruption; having regulations that are appropriate; having a local authority which is answerable to the people... getting people to be involved in what, what they want... So you need a combination of good governance and good over-management to help address the problems that we're talking about."
Globalisation has shifted emphasis from nations to economic regions, says Gary Lawrence. "It's created a tension we haven't talked about - and that is charismatic mayors, people who govern well, people who can inspire people to greatness, are always perceived to be the political rivals of the national government." And Kalpana Sharma points up another problem for the future: "A two-class system in terms of cities where you'll have global cities, which'll get all the benefits of being part of this global economy and all the problems that come with it. And you'll get the other smaller cities which will continue to struggle without getting the funding and without getting any of the attention that they ought to get."
There's a lot to be done, says Michael Parkes, and the meeting in New York is only a beginning: "It is the urban century we're moving into - first time in the history of mankind -and all these things have to be done."
TRANSCRIPT
Read the full transcript of The Barcelona Blueprint
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