Building Communities Through Plazas

During the first interaction and lecture with Alejandro, he discussed the concept of an occupational hazard in Madrid. The occupational hazard of an architect is the inability to be a “tourist.” Architects continuously analyze spaces wherever they go, making them unable to visit a place for pleasure and take in the “prettiness” of a space.

As our initial studies and observations in Madrid focused heavily on the plazas that remain key tourist attractions in the city, I easily became intrigued with the concept of plazas and the use of this urban public space in Spain. After examining, sketching, and studying plazas in Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, and Valencia and the cultural, historical, and sociological significance of those plazas to each city, I quickly became aware of the use of these spaces by locals and tourists and its relationship to shaping the surrounding community.

Upon arriving in Guardamar, I immediately realized the lack of plazas and its use in the community compared to the other cities we visited before. The first plaza that we encountered in Guardamar was the open rectangular space with white plastic palm trees. Although we came across this location during mid-day, the plaza was empty and quiet even with the few restaurants that surrounded the area.

In addition to the month-long observations of the city, while living in Guardamar, our Guardamar project proposal helped me realize the importance of plazas once again. We proposed a multi-leveled plaza in our project due to its ability to improve social communities. From the locals gathering at the same restaurant and coffee shop each morning for breakfast, older women with grocery bags chatting in the corner of a small street, and grandparents people-watching outside in the patio, there exists a sense of community in Guardamar that we were not able to see in big cities like Madrid. However, even with these strong social connections, we still believe in the power and cruciality to create a designated space for these social interactions for both locals and tourists.

As I slowly saw myself adopting the occupational hazard of architects, the ability to analyze these urban settings are pivotal in our understanding of how a city works and the relationship of a space with its community. I am now extremely excited to observe urban spaces in Berkeley as I now comprehend the powerfulness of a plaza. The next time I come across Sproul Plaza, I will understand the intentions of the architect in creating an urban public space that encourages a strong community within our university.

- Julia

(Blog 4/4)