Clare Bolton is a Senior Planner at Chapman Lily Planning Limited.
In many ways this journey began over 10 years ago when Chapman Lily Planning Ltd (CLP) was formed. This small planning consultancy was formed from humble beginnings operating from a small office with an outside toilet. Now, to celebrate 10 years of the business, its successes and expansion, rather than a meal at a restaurant or a day at the races, the directors wanted to do something special to celebrate the anniversary and to reward staff for their dedication and hard work.
The Directors – both keen travellers – hit on the idea of taking a look around a European city and speaking with planners to get a fresh insight into how they approach development and to hopefully take away a valuable insight into how common challenges are addressed.
So, on the 2nd of April 2025, the team at CLP embarked on a four-day CPD trip to the city of Barcelona. The aim was to learn more about their planning system, share with them how we work and who knows – even gather insights that could be applied to our projects back home.
The connection was made possible thanks to the RTPI international networks. The Institute’s activated their contacts at the European Council of Spatial Planners and linked us with fellow professionals in Barcelona. Planners based at Barcelona City Council hosted us with a talk and walking tour of the city, offering a unique perspective on urban development and planning in Barcelona, and us sharing how we approach our work for our clients.
Barcelona is famous for its grid array of large blocks and wide streets. Each block was originally intended to have an area of open space in the centre to promote healthy living. By the 1920s however, the centre of the blocks had been enclosed and the walls heightened to create more flats and respond to a growing population, creating the square-like structures we see today.
Subsequently, Barcelona began to suffer from a lack of open space, and residents had to live with unhealthy levels of noise from through traffic. That is when a local urban designer began to envision superblocks. The basic idea of a superblock is to delineate a large area of roughly three by three blocks and create shared-use space, where pedestrians can ‘take back the streets’ and create open spaces.
The Chapman Lily team had the pleasure of accompanying a local architect and urban planner to the famous Poblenou Superblock where you can clearly see the change being made and the positives of the superblock creation. Interestingly, there is still controversy around Superblocks as many local residents feel it encourages isolated communities – residents that do not belong to a set superblock as can feel secluded. Poblenou Superblock specifically had low-rise residential buildings demolished, and replaced with modern, architecturally ‘interesting’ buildings (see the image below), including luxurious hotels and apartments. Some local residents feel this has actively encouraged gentrification, as opposed to building the homes they feel are desperately needed by the local people.
Architecture on the edge of the Poblenou superblock (courtesy of Maysun for Vox)
Barcelona is of course known for its vibrant culture, and stunning architecture including the famous landmark, Sagrada Familia. However, one hidden gem is La gran Clariana del parc de les Glòries (Glòries park), a spacious one-hectare park, open to the public for relaxation and enjoyment – they even had a book trolley to borrow from and group Tai Chi sessions! However, Glòries park was not originally designed as a park. It was once a traffic-congested roundabout designated as the “new heart of the city”. In fairness to the City Council, they acknowledged that the highway design was poor and effectively acted as a barrier to pedestrian movement. Little by little, the idea of revitalising the area gained more and more strength until in 2013, The Barcelona City Council announced the commencement of the competition for les Glòries’ transformation, with approximately 55 submissions from multidisciplinary teams. The winning proposal selected by the jury was “Urban Canopy”, designed by the French studio Agence Ter in conjunction with Catalan architect Ana Coello de Llobet, which is the park you see today.
Glòries park
The team