Last October, students from IAAC’s Master in City & Technology took part in the first edition of the Biennial of Young Architecture of Catalonia by joining a workshop focused on reshaping Aragó Street into a model for urban revitalization. The workshop was a collaborative effort between IAAC students, guided by MaCT co-director Mathilde Marengo and coordinator Isabel Lima, and students from the Master in Urban Design for Healthy Cities at the Universitat Internacional de Barcelona (UIC). The event, coordinated by AJAC and moderated by Laura Solsona in collaboration with the neighborhood platform Eixample Respira, was guided by architect and curator Olga Subirós.
How can we reimagine Aragó Street?
Aragó Street holds a crucial role in Barcelona’s mobility and history, making it a classic example of the challenges faced by many modern cities today. Every day, the street contends with the weight of over 60,000 vehicles, a constant influx that disrupts the delicate balance between vehicular traffic and pedestrian life.
Following an initial site visit where Olga Subirós and Eixample Respira, the neighborhood platform dedicated to combating pollution in the Eixample area, addressed the intricate challenges facing Aragó Street, students formed diverse groups with specific tasks. Their mission was to propose solutions to existing issues and exchange ideas to transform Aragó Street into a model for urban revitalization. These proposals evolved around several perspectives:
- The preservation and enhancement of heritage
- The radical improvement of neighbors’ quality of life
- The augmentation of natural resources, including vegetation and water
- The adaptation and design of urban spaces considering vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly
About Young Architecture Biennial of Catalonia
The Biennial of Young Architecture of Catalonia is a dynamic event that spotlights the creative talents of emerging architects in Catalonia. Organized by the Agrupació de Joves Arquitectes de Catalunya (AJAC), the first edition titled POST-LIKE featured a diverse program of activities, including conferences, workshops, and exhibitions and was cured by Marina Povedano, Arnau Pascual, Laura Solsona and Eduard Fernández of the Self-Office studio.
About the Master in City and Technology
The Master in City & Technology is a on-campus programme oriented towards redefining the future of the urban, through innovative, evidence based and experimental approaches to understand, design and materialise cities. Taking place in Barcelona, the capital of urbanism, the Master is a platform to shape multidisciplinary leaders empowered to pioneer the transition of the urban environment in the era of big data, towards resilient & circular cities, inclusive & just communities and adaptive & more than human urban environments.