Placa Paisos Catalans

Barcelona, Spain

Contributed by Project for Public Spaces

An empty, useless disaster of a space.

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08/09/03 Sutter Wehmeier said:

It is truly a shame that one's first view of Barcelona upon arriving at Sants train station is this desolate and bleakly surreal plaza. It has been jokingly named "the petrol station" by local leaders. Rather than welcoming visitors or engaging neighbors, this space makes one feel lonely, exposed, and confused by the high-blown architectural language of its "enlightened" avant-garde architects. This Minimalist square negates almost everything the public associates with art, community, and public space, including a sense of moral or spiritual uplift. For a great discussion of Barcelona's controversial public works, read D. McNeill's "Urban Change and the European Left: Tales from the new Barcelona."

12/02/04 peter whitley said:

It appears that the skateboarders enjoy it very much, so it must not be a complete waste.

12/28/05 Juan Lagarrigue said:

It is truly amazing to see how a plaza can be so revered by architects and designers but actually turn into a total failure as a place. This plaza was THE most studied urban space when I was in architectural school, back in the 80's, and no one would have thought about criticize it.