Thursday, March 10, 2011

INTEGRATING PLACE IDENTITY, URBAN SUSTAINABILITY AND GLOBALIZATION: A GREAT CHALLENGE FOR THE CITY OF THE FUTURE

by M.Sepe

Cities  are  now  increasingly  encouraged  to  specialize  and  compete  with  one another  to be more attractive  to visitors and  tourists. While competition means the recovery of degraded historic centres, revitalization of former industrial sites or enhancement of areas for cultural use, it often leads to the standardisation of cities and the consequent loss of place identity and decline in quality of life for its inhabitants.
Starting from this premise this paper proposes PlaceMaker, a qualitative method of  urban  analysis  and  design,  for  drawing  up  urban  projects  focusing  on  the conservation and enhancement of place identity as well as able to face up to the challenge  of  globalization.  The  method’s  potential  for  areas  with  a  predominantly  pedestrian  vocation  is  illustrated by means  of  a  case  study,  the  Ramblas in Barcelona, where globalization is creating great changes.


Rambla de Canaletes, Barcelona, photo by Almusaiti
Rambla de Canaletes, Barcelona, photo by Ramiro Sánchez-Crespo
more posts about urban revitalization:

MEXICO: Capital Badly in Need of Urban Regeneration

Creating Wealth: Revitalization and Gentrification

Urban Revitalization: Best Practices to Prevent Residential Displacement Due to Gentrification

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