Webinar - What can we really learn from Barcelona’s Superblocks?

A fascinating webinar that looks at the history, politics and people that created the Superblock, an idea which has transformed city streets and street life in parts of Barcelona. We heard from experts Marco Amati and Kurt Iveson who have been studying the change and learning firsthand from the people involved. 

Barcelona’s Superblocks

Barcelona’s Superblocks are lauded all over the world as a way to rethink and redesign urban city streets. This webinar digs deeper, telling the stories of the people and politics that made these changes possible and the benefits and controversies that resulted. 

For more information check out the following:

Article by Salvador Rueda and Quentin Stevens (open access):  

Taking Play Seriously in Urban Design: The Evolution of Barcelona’s Superblocks  

https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/doi/full/10.1177/12063312231159229 

EIT have posted a series of talks by Salvador Rueda on Youtube, e.g.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdiXu3Q92r4 

Interview with Salvador Rueda when he was in Australia:

https://citiespeoplelove.gatsbyjs.io/article/barcelona-superblocks-for-people-centric-cities-an-interview-with-salvador-rueda-and-marco-amati 

Articles in The Conversation:

https://theconversation.com/how-superblocks-can-free-up-and-improve-cbd-space-for-the-people-of-melbourne-a-step-by-step-guide-193860 

https://theconversation.com/superblocks-are-transforming-barcelona-they-might-work-in-australian-cities-too-123354 

If you missed it that’s ok! You can view a recording of the webinar below.

Left to right - Kurt Iveson, Marco Amati

Kurt Iveson

Kurt Iveson writes and teaches about the politics of urban public space, and is Professor of Urban Geography at the University of Sydney. He is currently researching the remarkable past decade of municipal politics in Barcelona for a book about people power in cities. 

Visit https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/about/our-people/academic-staff/kurt-iveson.html for more information.

Marco Amati

Marco Amati is co-author of a recent paper with superblock designer Salvador Rueda and Quentin Stevens about the evolution of Barcelona’s superblocks and the role of play as an agent of change in the city. Marco researches trees and green spaces within urban environments, and is Professor of International Planning at RMIT.

Visit https://cur.org.au/people/associate-professor-marco-amati/ for more information.

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