Constructing the in?between metropolitan landscapes

Abstract

The thesis attempts to understand the processes of metropolization occurred during the last decades in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region in terms of change of scale, new functions and physical transformations of the urban landscape. The dispersed and fragmented landscapes of expansion are analyzed to understand which are the elements of conflict and discussion in order to define new possible futures for the region. The main objective of the thesis is to understand how the fragmented in?between metropolitan landscapes have been created, to analyse the patterns of occupation and transformation and to investigate the potentials they have to be constructed in the future in a much more integrated and sustainable way. The methodology of the regional analysis carried out goes through the historical evolution of the region focusing on the processes of urbanization, industrialization and development of infrastructures. The study shows how along the defined stages, the relation between city and nature has evolved until the present situation where its boundaries are fragmented and blurred. The analysis of the different patterns of growth and its extrapolation allows to develop different possible models of growth. A closer up in the Vallès Plain area allows the definition of specific strategies aligned with the regional developed scenario. In order to shift from large scale diagrams and scenarios to a closer approach on reality, an area is designed as a test of its spatial quality.