Understanding the relationship between public space social capital expressions and pedestrian-oriented design: a case study within the superblock action plan in Barcelona
Social Capital (SC) is embedded in individuals who cultivate strong interpersonal relations and actively participate in their communities. Empirical research suggests that pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods increase social interactions, which are essential for the development of SC. The Superblock A...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/429984 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/429984 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.105968 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Pedestrian areas -- Spain -- Barcelona Desenvolupament urbà sostenible -- Catalunya -- Barcelona Planificació de barris -- Barcelona (Catalunya) -- Aspectes socials Public spaces -- Eixample (Barcelona, Catalunya) Pedestrian facilities design -- Eixample (Barcelona, Spain) -- Social aspects Circulació de vianants -- Eixample (Barcelona, Catalunya) -- Avaluació Social capital Principal component analysis Walkable environments Pedestrian neighbourhood Superblock Zones de vianants -- Catalunya -- Barcelona Sustainable urban development -- Spain -- Barcelona Neighborhood planning -- Barcelona (Spain) -- Social aspects Espais públics -- Eixample (Barcelona, Spain) Zones de vianants -- Eixample (Barcelona, Catalunya) -- Disseny i construcció -- Aspectes socials Pedestrian traffic flow -- Eixample (Barcelona, Spain) -- Evaluation Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Urbanisme::Planejament urbà Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Urbanisme::Aspectes socials |
| Sumario: | Social Capital (SC) is embedded in individuals who cultivate strong interpersonal relations and actively participate in their communities. Empirical research suggests that pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods increase social interactions, which are essential for the development of SC. The Superblock Action Plan in Barcelona has become a world-renowned initiative to massively transform car-used space into people-centred design. In this paper, we analyse how structuring (i.e. permanent infrastructure) and tactical (i.e. temporary-mobile infrastructure) interventions in the Sant Antoni area, one of the first superblocks, are correlated with expressions of SC in the form of people's behavioural patterns. To achieve this, extensive field observations of public space usage and urban settings at micro-scale level were carried out and further analysed through multivariate techniques. The results reveal a stronger correlation between social behaviour and structuring interventions than tactical ones. Variables such as inner courtyards, urban furniture, terrace protection from vehicular traffic, commercial premise customisation and prosocial interaction infrastructure contribute significantly to promoting behavioural patterns associated with SC. These findings have considerable implications for the deployment of public programmes to reclaim land from cars. |
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