Bon Pastor, a Neighbourhood with a Future. Let's Make its Remembrance Claiming the Symbolic Accessibility

Abstract

The article discusses the on-going experience in BarcelonaBon Pastor district. A citizen's participation experience aiming to capture the civic memory of the neighbourhood in public space. A co-management experience between neighbours, the University, the District of Sant Andreu and the MUHBA (Museum of History of the City) with the creation of a space-museum focused on popular housing. Barcelona City Council policies for improving people's accessibility to their residence, public space and public transport are described, highlighting the new emerging rights that suggest we cannot exclusively consider 'People's autonomy' from the individual dimension. Citizens, through existing participatory channels or new channels that can be opened, have the right to actively participate in the proposals and projects for transforming built environment linked to their daily life, in a 'bottom-up'process of co-production and co-design. The article calls for an extension of the concepts of accessibility to the symbolic dimensions of the public space that contributes to a better design for people. But, we recognise, that to give an answer to this claim is only possible at a time when the social structure is on the pathway to overcome the problems of physical accessibility. The article concludes that this expansion of the concept and the tools necessary to tackle it can effectively contribute against the processes of social exclusion.