The limits of spatial appropriation. Plaça dels Àngels, Barcelona: A case study

Abstract

Given the different modern tensions that threaten the public space, it remains the representational theater of society, both to show and to act. To all urban conceptual discourse, there is a response from the daily practice of public space, appropriation. Therefore, the objective of this article is to investigate the concept of spatial appropriation in the Plaça dels Àngels (Barcelona), which represents one of the most characteristic public spaces of the so-called 'Barcelona Model'. To this end, a triangulated qualitative research was conducted, based on the grounded theory design, and based on ethnography and interviews. The results show that despite the infradotation of the square, there are five different collectives that appropriate the public space in a very particular way. Through each appropriation, the public space expresses necessities not filled by the current urban planning approaches and, at the same time, it offers a playful response of resistance; this response leads us to reflect on the limits of appropriation.