The regulation of economic activity is a question of the utmost relevance in urban planning as urbanism meants to support coexistence of citizens necessities while preserving the health of the commercial economic fabric. In this context, the model of diversity embodied by the city of Barcelona (paradigm of other European cities where commercial and leisure activities play a fundamental role in constructing the social, civic and economic values) is under discussion from the urban and political perspective. The saturation of public access activities, food retailers and tourist services -consequence of previous boosting liberal policies- is affecting the habitability and the quality of life of the residents. Using the new land-use plan of Ciutat Vella (Barcelona, Spain, 2018) as a case study, we intend to frame the regulation of public access and commercial activities in an international context, explain how this particular type of plan works and discuss the circumstances of its implementation.

This article (included in one of the most recent reference publications in the field of “night studies”) deals with the relationship between the nocturnal landscape and the role of public space, offering two key contributions. Initially, we propose a novel methodological approach to measuring nighttime activity in cities through the introduction of different sources of dynamic data (big data and satellite imagery) along with tailored data-mining techniques to extract knowledge that can contribute to nocturnal urban design and planning.

Second, we propose a case study based on the city of Barcelona, replicable in other urban contexts with similar data structure maturity levels. This example helps us understand how public space is used at different times of day and how that use is tied to energy, elements of memory, visual structures or the regulation of public lighting.

Article in Paisaje Transversal blog explaining the project Mercè.