"Challenges of the low-density city", with Isabelle Anguelovski at the CCCB

Isabelle Anguelovski is taking part in this seminar that will explore the complexity of the low-density city in Catalonia, from its American suburban influence to the territorial and social vulnerabilities it faces in the current context.

 

Seminar: "Challenges of the low-density city"
 

With Isabelle Anguelovski, ICTA-UAB researcher

Date: Friday, May 3rd 2024
Time: 10h
Venue: Sala Mirador. CCCB (Montalegre, 5. Barcelona)
 

The Tourist Suburb: Second Homes, Labour Nomadism, and Marginal Settlements

• Moderator: Albert Arias. Department of Geography, University of Barcelona.
• Isabelle Anguelovski. Researcher at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
• Dani Guillem. Journalist and creator of the podcast on the world of motor homes, InSedentarios.
   

The urban sprawl and residential specialization of a large part of the Catalan territory certainly responds in part to a growing adoption, over decades, of a lifestyle and an imaginary typical of the American suburbs.

However, the phenomenon of urban growth, especially low-density growth combined with the prevalence of second homes, responds to many, very diverse influences. Factors as varied as an uneven terrain, the structural crisis of the primary sector, the entrance of venture capital into real estate management, water shortages, and the risk of wildfires all coexist today in cities that we cannot call purely suburban, precisely because of their complexity and their varied manifestations across the territory.

From the ski areas in Vall d’Aran to the holiday towns in the Baix Ebre region, and from the residential developments in the Ordal mountains to the riverbanks of the Vallès, we can see that low-density urban areas, in all their forms and functions, require ongoing, tailored attention from the public administration.

These debates are intended to highlight the vulnerabilities and the social and territorial challenges facing these urban fabrics in our present context, as well as investigating some management methods.