Public space is space used by citizens, space that is adaptable and had a changing meaning.

I have been doing some reading lately after seeing the different type of “urban space” that existed in Morocco. After seeing how different space can be viewed and approached, I wanted to find out what exactly a public space is in not only Barcelona but in Western Europe. Rome is littered with plazas, as are parts of Barcelona. But what makes a plaza? What makes it work? And how should it be approached architecturally. With Barcelona being a place where there are recently and currently so many urban initiatives to create these public spaces in the city I felt that it was necessary to try to research and see what I can find to clarify my approach even further to what I need to look for.

Research found
· There are three elements that limit the extent of a plaza: the walls of the buildings surrounding, the area of the ground, and the amount of sky over the plaza. Wholeness comes from the successful combination of the three
· Five types of Plazas (Paul Zucker p. 117-119 Plazas of Southern Europe)
o Closed Plaza: the buildings entirely surrounding the area create a confined space
o Dominated square: Incorporates axis which create unique and effective expanse of space in their direction. A structure at the head is a common occurrence in these plazas.
o Nuclear Plaza: instead of having buildings surrounding it, this type of plaza has a central focus (such as a fountain).
o Combination of multiple squares: This is a situation in which there are two plazas near each other connected by something such as a large foot path that creates a continuous domain.
o The fifth type is one that was constructed in the 18th and 19th century, and contains no recognizable square space among them. These spaces tend to be smaller openings, and reliefs created by left over space or the need for an opening in a dense area that contains no apparent edge or center.

· A “square” is a public open space located at critical points in urban areas such as road intersections or in front of public buildings for gatherings, markets, aesthetic purposes, or to ease traffic flow (Kenchiku Daijiten p. 121 Plazas of Southern Europe).
o This definition I do not necessarily agree with for the fact that I feel that spaces within the urban fabric don’t need to be for a physical reason, but can be for the mere fact of green space that relieves urban fabric and provides places for people to go and have some “stretch room.” But, in looking at the definition I feel that is important to include as it is further refining my own definition of urban/public spaces.


Then, after feeling like I have a stronger grasp on how to classify plazas and am beginning to refine my own definition of what public space is, I felt that it was necessary to at least begin researching what public spaces in Barcelona are viewed as and approached as.

· “Percieved space is the materialized, socially produced, empirical space, directly experienced, open, within limits, to accurate measurements and description. It is the traditional focus of attention in all spatial disciplines” (P. 151-152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Conceived Space: a “conceptualized space, the space of scientists, planners, urbanists, technocratic subdividers all of whome identify what is lived and what is perceived with what in conceived.” (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· In Barcelona public space is commonly analyzed as a conceived or perceived space much more than as a lived space. (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Public space is space used by citizens, space that is adaptable and had a changing meaning.


After this past quite, I feel like I can fully define what I feel is a successful public space. I never thought of a substantial space within the city to be adaptable and changing, but that is exactly what it is. Yes it has parameters, edges and is a defined space, but it contains ever changing uses. Uses of a successful public space need to be able to be personally conceived by the person experiencing it. It does not have to have green space, and it does not have to be large, but it has to serve the purpose of the people using it. For example, when you walk into a plaza in Barcelona some people are reading a book, some are walking their dogs, others are meeting people while some are merely using it as a passage to another space. As an architect, to design a space that holds one purpose and one purpose alone would be setting the design up for failure. It needs to have versatility within a prescribed space. A successful urban space has no definition but that which the people tell. If the plaza is being utilized on multiple levels than it is successful.

Placa Reial is a perfect example of this. The designer created a space which brings in multiple streets and blends them together. But there is not a specific program in the space. There is not permanent urban furniture or large expanses of grassy areas for people to sit out and relax on. But it is a successful space. Restaurants have filled in many spaces, expanding out into the plaza with exterior seating. People use this space as a meeting space, as well as a gathering space and a space to relax. The fountain in the middle is constantly in use with people eating, meeting or merely resting. There are shops and places to stop, but people also use it to get from one area to the next. It is utilized on many levels, and that is what makes it so successful. It also contains elements of a couple of the five classifications defined earlier. It is a Combination Plaza, as La Rambla is a large urban space neighboring it with a large connecting path creating what feels like a continuous domain. It also has a nuclear aspect, as the central fountain draws the forms definition partially from its basis around this fountain. Then it is clearly a closed plaza as on all of its sides there are continuous buildings/facades creating a confined space. Also, one of my other notes states that wholeness in a plaza comes from the successful combination of having defined walls by the buildings surrounding it, defined area of the ground, and the appropriate amount of sky over the plaza. Placa Reial is defined by the buildings around it, that define the area of the space while providing a large expanse of light and sky above it. The three, in this instance, are melded together. One creates the other (walls defining area and openness to sky), which I feel is what a successful combination looks like. When in this space, you feel confined yet open to do what you are seeking to accomplish (or even what not to accomplish in the case of just getting away from the business of La Rambla). This I feel, at least in this instance, is what creates wholeness in a public space.