From hiking to zoning

Ideas and projects for the metropolitan rural land in Catalonia

Abstract

Between 1870 and 1930, some representations about rural territory were built in Catalonia and strongly influenced contemporary urban planning in the region. The aim of this article is to analyze the relationship between the views of landscape and territory with the instruments and urban proposals contemporary formulated for the case of Barcelona, with the focus on the non-urban land. By studying plans and projects, among other primary sources related to the Catalan landscape, we identified three periods in this process. The first one, between 1874 and 1900, results from the rise of hiking and the importance of mountains: several attempts to build a link with territory, related to history and natural sciences. During the first decade of 20th century, the basis of Catalan territorial organization was settled, trying to link the local urban culture to the European context. Finally, in the 1930s, the studies focused on the territory as a whole, under the idea of zoning but avoiding hierarchizing. Therefore, we identified cultural particularities in the way of interpreting rural metropolitan space, in relationship to different representations of the urban debate city-countryside.