A Manifesto, Kind of
When I returned to Barcelona about eleven years ago, after an absence of around fifteen, I was shocked at the changes.
Where once venturing into the poorly lit streets around Santa Maria Del Mar was an eerie if enchanting experience, the area had become crammed with tourists and shops. A simultaneous shock was the homeless on the streets. An occasional sight in the early 90s, now there was a proliferation of people pushing their possessions, along with scavenged scrap to sell, around in shopping trollies. Newton’s Law in action, which I suppose is just another way of saying Capitalism.
Clearly the increase in tourist income was not filtering down to where it was needed. There must be a way to make this happen, for just a small portion of the tourist dollar to benefit those who need it. Over-simplistic perhaps, but can’t get it out of my head.
I’m positively evangelical about Barcelona – about it’s architecture, it’s food, it’s outward-looking spirit. I’d love everyone to experience that. But surely the residents should profit, and not just those with a spare room or a bar? Imagine if every Easy Jet flight, every train carriage, every cruise ship (would that there were none of the latter…) brought a neighbourhood library, a low-cost apartment, a community garden. The City should be positively rolling in benefits.
And then in 2015 Ada Colau became mayor; an actual grass-roots housing activist in office, and the time is right for change. Five years of thinking about it, and the time is even right-er. The last six months have exposed inequality and precarious livelihoods to an even greater degree.
If ever there was a perfect time for a reset…
As visitors, we don’t want to be part of the problem, we want to contribute to the city. So I want this website to make it easier for you to do that - to experience the city through independent, ethical business and social enterprise; to spend in places that will financially support the citizens. I haven’t found enough ways to do that yet, but I’m on the hunt and welcome suggestions.
It’s a hunt that I hope will lead naturally to an enjoyment of the city that involves less than the previous disconnect between visitors and residents. It makes sense to me, but it’s a work in progress and we’ll kind of see how it goes.