The neighborhood explained€¦ · 5.1.- The districts of Barcelona 5.2.- The school district and its neighborhoods 5.3.- The school’s neighborhood 6.- A LANDSCAPE THAT HAS CHANGED

THE NEIGHBORHOOD EXPLAINED 1 Joint project of the schools of Barcelona

The neighborhood explained

Camp d’aprenentatge de Barcelona

Course 2012-2013


Educational materials developed by Camp d’Aprenentatge de Barcelona and published for educational

use. Copies can be made for this purpose.

Traduction by Andrew Wang (2012)

Camp d’Aprenentatge de Barcelona

Pg. Mare de Déu del Coll 41-51

08023 Barcelona

[email protected]

xww.xtec.cat/cda-barcelona


1.- INTRODUCTION

2.- SOURCES, BASIC TOOLS TO KNOW THE HISTORY

3.- WHAT DO WE WANT TO EXPLAIN ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD?

4.- BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CITY OF BARCELONA

5.- BARCELONA NOW

5.1.- The districts of Barcelona

5.2.- The school district and its neighborhoods

5.3.- The school’s neighborhood

6.- A LANDSCAPE THAT HAS CHANGED

7.- THE SCHOOL DISTRICT

8.- OUR SCHOOL

9.- LANDMARKS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT

10.- DISTINGUISHED NEIGHBORS

11.- TRAVEL THE NEIGHBORHOOD

12.- THE STREETS

12.1.- Traffic

12.2.- Pollution

12.3.- Mobility

12.4.- Commerce: Sellers and Buyers

12.5.- Biodiversity: Trees and Birds


1.- INTRODUCTION

“To see is to learn, to learn is to love and to love is to protect”

Jordi Sabater i Pi (primatòleg barceloní)

“We only protect what we love,

only love what we understand,

and we only understand what we are taught”

Babà Dioum (Senegalese poet)

This project now aims to provide the key which enables reading, interpreting and constructing knowledge about Barcelona and its heritage in general, as well as the area surrounding your particular school. Various city centers where you work within the school district will assist in weaving together the ¨The

Neighborhood Explained¨ project around the city.

We will perform the research by consultation information, team work, and field work (taking to the

streets).

We call it ¨The District Explained¨ because you must be the main characters, learning what must be

taught to others: to your classmates, to the school, to other schools, to parents in the neighborhood...

So inadvertently we will make people anywhere realize that there are things worth knowing,

preserving, and doing. Above all, we must let people around and among us know that the district is a

good place to grow and live.

As a final activity, you will meet colleagues from other schools in Barcelona who also explain their

neighborhoods. You will meet others who will help you to better know yourself... it will be a great

day!


2.- SOURCES, BASIC TOOLS TO KNOW THE HISTORY

A historical source is any element that has survived until today, providing us information about the

past. The sources are testimonies left by those who have lived before us. They allow historians to

reconstruct their lifestyles and socieities.

The sources can be:

Oral: they are gathered aloud from people who have experienced a particular historical event.

Written: including documents of all kinds, newspapers, books, etc.

Materials: they are related to objects and buildings that have survived to the present day.

Iconographic: those which include graphical representations, such as

paintings, sculptures, maps, posters, photographs, and films.

Reference source ARKEODIDAKTIKA journals: http://cepap.uab.cat/publicacions/publicacions_arkeodidaktika.htm


3.- WHAT DO WE WANT TO EXPLAIN ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD? Surely there are many things about the neighborhood you would like to explain later. Write down the questions you can think of and record them in the appropriate sections of the table: About the weather About the occupied space About its structure (how it is organized) About the people who are living or working in the area


4.- BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CITY OF BARCELONA If we could travel back in time 2,000 years, we would see a city very different than our own. At the

top of some hills we would see villages inhabited by Iberian tribes of the Laietans; the most important

part of the city would have been the Montjuïc mountain and the city was called Barcino.

The Romans arrived around 10 BCE and founded Barcino (or rather, Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia

Paterna Barcino) following a strict structure of the cities main streets, the Cardo and the Decumanus.

These main streets intersected to form a network of streets in a grid, with a large square atop Mount

Táber: the forum. A wall with 76 towers

and a door at the ends of the main streets

in the city was used for protection,

allowing the city to flourish. Much of the

wall and its towers can still be seen today

because they were used during the Middle

Ages to build churches, palaces, and other

important buildings that have embellished

the city to this day.

In the 8th century Arabs occupied the city,

which they called Madinat Barsiluna. They

remained in the city for almost 90 years, until the city was released and redesignated to the reign of

Frankish counts: the most important of them is Wilfred the Hairy, who started the dynasty of the

House of Barcelona.

The city eventually grew beyond the Roman walls and were protected by emerging new neighborhoods

or towns such as Mercadal (present day Plaça de l’Àngel) where they sold their farm products, which

were manufactured by artisans and slaves. There was also St. Peter’s (Sant Pere), and la Ribera (the

new town from the sea).

In the 13th century James I the Conqueror began the construction of a new wall to protect his

territory, like an oil spill spreading beyond the old boundaries of Barcino. He also founded the first

governing body of the city: el Consell de Cent.

Barcelona became the capital of a small empire, the Crown of Aragon, which spanned much of the

Mediterranean: Corsica, Siciliy, Naples, Sardinia, Athens, etc. They built large buildings such as the

Cathedral, the Royal Palace, the Church of Santa Maria del Mar and, in the 14th century, Peter the

Ceremonious had a third wall constructed to protect the suburbs (the land located west of Las

Ramblas).

From the 15th century, with the arrival of a new dynastic royal government, The House of Trastámara,

the city began a decline that would not cease until the 19th century. The entrance of the Bourbon

army of Philip V on September 11, 1714 and the end of the War of Succession, among other things, led

to the destruction of the Ribera district, the construction of the fortress of the Citadel, and the

strengthening of the medieval walls. This was done not so much for protection, rather for monitoring

and containing the city.


Industrialization began in the 19th century, creating a need for factory labor. El Raval’s population

increased to the point where crowding, along with poor sanitation and hygiene, caused many

epidemics, deaths, and riots. In the middle of the 19th century the citizens received permission to

tear down the walls and the Citadel in order to build a new city: striking the birth of l’Eixample,

planned by Ildefons Cerdà. The construction of l’Eixample spread to other areas within Barcelona,

such as Gràcia, Sants, Sant Gervasi, Les Corts, Sant Martí, and Sant Andreu, until it was incorporated

with the city without opposition from Barcelona’s residents. These areas now make up the districts

and nieghborhoods within Barcelona today.

� Look at the images on the following page: correspond maps of the different stages throughout the history of Barcelona. Arrange them chronologically by writing the number and its corresponding text description.

1. Barcino (1st—4th cent.): Mont Tàber and main roads 2. Barchinona (4th—12th cent.): second wall. District of Saint Peter’s (Sant Pere).

District of la Ribera. 3. Barcelona (17th cent.): third wall: The Citadel (La Ciutadella) and Barceloneta. 4. Barcelona (19th cent.): demolition of the walls. Eixample. 5. Barcelona (1900-1939): municipal annexation plan. 6. Barcelona (1940-1975): immigration. Barcelona metropolitan area.

Reference sources: From Barcino to Barcelona. Website for the city of Barcelona: http://www.bcn.cat/historia/ Video: The development plan for the city of Barcelona: http://www.bcn.cat/historia/pag/capitols/cap_01/ca/transversals/pla_de_barcelona/galeria_videos/video1.htm




� 5.- BARCELONA NOW

5.1.- The districts of Barcelona

� How many districts does Barcelona have? Which of them belong to the school district?

� Has your neighborhood always been a part of Barcelona? If not, to which town did it originally belong?

Els districtes de Barcelona. Viquipèdia

Reference source Former municipalities of Barcelona: http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antics_municipis_del_pla_de_Barcelona


5.2.- The school district and its neighborhoods

Find a map of the school district and paste it below:

Referenced source Districts of Barcelona: http://www.bcn.es/catala/laciutat/districtes/welcome.htm

Name of the district:

Neighborhoods that comprise it:


5.3.- The school´s neighborhood Find the information you need and note the number of inhabitants of Barcelona in recent years:

Year 1900 1920 1940 1960 1981 2000 2010

inhabitants

Note below the current data about the neighborhood:

Name of the neighborhood Population and density Customs Festivities of the neighborhood and festivities of the district

� What percentage of Barcelona’s current total population is represented in the neighborhood? � Which has the highest population density, Barcelona or the neighborhood? What does this

mean?

Reference source http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona (Demographic evolution)


6.- A LANDSCAPE THAT HAS CHANGED Find a picture of the old neighborhood during an important historical moment in the 19th or 20th century, as well as a picture of the current site.

IMAGE OF THE PAST What place is this? What is the date of this image?

IMAGE OF THE PRESENT What place is this? What is the date of this image?

Reference sources: Photographic Archive of Barcelona: http://www.bcn.cat/arxiu/fotografic/consulta.html Photos of Barcelona: http://www.fotosdebarcelona.com/cat/galeria.asp Memory of the neighborhoods: http://memoriadelsbarris.blogspot.com/


Look at the images you have chosen and observe the streets, houses, transportation, etc. Write down the things that have changed, as well as the things that still exist today.

What has changed? What has survived? If you have worked on several places, place them together to tell the rest of the class what you have found!


7.- THE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Find a map of the school district. Paste it here and mark

Reference sources: - Districts/neighborhoods of Barcelona: http://www.bcn.es/catala/laciutat/districtes/welcome.htm - Maps of the neighborhoods: http://www.bcn.es/bcnbarris/ca/barris_mapa.html


8.- OUR SCHOOL

Name of the school:

Investigate...

� Why is this its name?

� Has the name of the school ever changed? What has it been named?

� In what year was the building constructed? Who was the architect?

� What year did the school begin to operate?

� Who is the owner? (City Council, the government, private person or organization...)

� How many students are there? How are the courses and years divided?

� What types of spaces are available? (classrooms, playgrounds...)

� If you have the chance, talk to the manager or secretary of the school and ask for a copy of the certificate of constitution of the school (l’acta de constitució). It is a document that confirms the formation of the center in its first meeting. You may discover something very curious from these records... record two or three things that particularly stood out.

� Try to find some old photographs of the school. On the following page, paste a current and an old photo: compare them!


The school before:

The school now:


9.- LANDMARKS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Please choose in accordance with the whole class six important places in the district. Each team will prepare information about the chosen sites and explain to the others how to get to each site. Name of the location or building:

Location (street, plaza...): Year of construction:

Architect / creator:

Current use: Previous use (if any):

Brief description:

Image:

Note down the name of other places chosen by other teams in the class:

Team: Location:

Reference sources: - Neighborhoods of Barcelona: http://www.bcn.es/bcnbarris/ca/ - Viquipèdia: http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Districtes_i_barris_de_Barcelona


An organization of the neighborhood

In all the neighborhoods of Barcelona there are organizations that especially emphasize their roots and their work towards a social neighborhood. � After visiting one of these organizations in your neighborhood, write a brief summary of it.

Remember that you must leave the name of the organization, the year of its foundation, and anything else you decide...


10.- DISTINGUISHED NEIGHBORS You may not know that remarkable people were born, have lived, or currently live in your neighborhood! Some may be better known than others, but they may have done important work in their respective fields. Investigate and choose one of these famous people to write a short biography. Name:

Date of birth / year of death (if not alive): Place of birth:

Profession:

Summary of his/her life. Major works for which he/she is known or recognized:

Photo:

Some song/text/picture of his/her work:

Reference sources: -Viquipèdia: http://ca.wikipedia.org/ (search the name of your neighborhood to find some celebrities). -Google: http://www.google.es/ (search some phrases such as “people from ... (the name of your neighborhood)”.


11.- TRAVEL THE NEIGHBORHOOD Among the entire class, find a map on Google Maps (http://maps.google.es/) and find some landmarks, as well as the route to see them. At each site, record some information and take a picture! � Record the results in the space provided:

Note the web address of the map you used:

Reference sources: -FInd a map on Google Maps: https://sites.google.com/a/xtec.cat/mapes/google-maps (watch “Com crear un mapa propi” video).


12.- THE STREETS

Are all the streets in the neighborhood alike? How so? How would you classify them?

___________________________________________________________________________________

Which main roads connect your neighborhood with other parts of the city?

12.1.- Traffic

Measure the traffic: count the different types of vehicles that pass through the street. Be sure to record the specific times of your observations.

Observation point (2)

Width

(1)

Cars

Buses

Taxis

Motorcycles

Bicycles

Others

TOTA

L

Intensity (3)

1)

Time:

2)

Time:

3)

Temps:

(1) Record how many lanes there are (include parking).

(2) Note the street name and the closest number to your corner.

(3) Intensity = vehicles per minute

On the map of your route (pàgina 21) indicate the sites observed by checking them with a cross:

o Red if you thought the traffic was high.

o Yellow if you thought the traffic was average.

o Green if you thought the traffic was low.

Reference sources: -Map of Barcelona: www.bcn.cat/guia


12.2.- Pollution

Noise pollution is caused by sounds. It is produced by any annoying sounds which, at certain levels, may have negative consequences for humans. According to OMS (Organització Mundial de la Salut), or the World Health Organization, there is noise pollution when noise exceeds 65dB (decibels=units for measuring the intensity of sound).

Level in decibels(dB) Feeling Classification

From 0 a 20 Silence, enjoyable Weak

From 21 a 40 Silence, enjoyable Light

From 41 a 65 Little noise Moderate

From 66 a 75 Noise, discomfort Strong

From 76 a 100 Very noisy, severe annoyance Very strong

From 101 a 120 Very noisy, severe annoyance Too strong

More than 120 Intolerable, pain Almost intolerable

Measure the noise level in the neighborhood at three points with a sound level meter. To do this, you must take measurements in each position for 15 seconds and repeat two times. After record the maximums, minimums, and averages (add the maximums and the minimums of each point and then divide by 4).

ANALYSIS OF NOISE POLLUTION

DATA:

Observation point dB mín

dB max

Sources of noise:

classification

Is there noise pollution?

Location 1: 1st measurement

2nd measurement

Time: Average: ___________


2nd measurement



2nd measurement


From the data collected in the fieldwork, mark three points on the map:

� Red point: Noise pollution well above the OMS reference values (more than 75 dB)

� Yellow point: Noise pollution slightly above the OMS reference values (between 66 and 75 dB)

� Green point: No noise pollution (less than 65 dB)


12.3 Mobility

1) Sex � Male � Female

2) Where do you work? � In Barcelona � Outside Barcelona 3) How many trips do you make each day to get to and back from work?

� 2 trips � 3 trips � 4 trips � 5 trips � More than 5 trips 4) What is the approximate distance from your home to your workplace? (in km)

______________ � Not sure 5) How long does it take to get to work? (In hours and minutes)

� Less than 30 minutes

� From 30 to 60 minutes

� Between 1 and 2 hours

� More than 2 hours

6) Which means of transportation do you use to get to work? � Public transportation � Private transportation � Walking

6.1 Public: which do you use? 6.2 Private: which do you use?

� Metro � Motorcycle

� Bus � Car

� Tram � Bicycle

� Bicing � Van

� Train � Other

� Taxi

� Other 7) Public transportation in their neighborhood: � Very good � Good � Average � Bad � Very bad

8) Which of these means of public transportation are close to your home? � Metro � Bus � Tram

� Bicing � Train � Taxi

� Other

ATTENTION! This survey should be used for people who live in the neighborhood and who are not

unemployed.


12.4.- Commerce To learn the commerce of the neighborhood you will conduct a survey with the shops, vendors, and customers. Each team of four students will survey, in pairs, two of each type. In other words, two surveys to shops and two surveys to customers per pair. Survey of vendors Name of store:

Address:

1. Type of store: � Specialty � Multipurpose

2. Products sold:

3. Age of the store: � 1 to 5 � 6 to 10 � 11 to 20 � More than 20

4. Number of people working at the store: � 1 � 2 � 3 � 4 � More than 4 5. Store hours: 5.1 � morning and afternoon � mornings only � afternoons only 5.2 � weekdays � weekdays and holidays 6. What are the best days for the shop? � Monday � Tuesday � Wednesday � Thursday � Friday � Saturday � Sunday 7. What are the busiest months of the year? 8. The people who shop there are: � from the neighborhood � from other neighborhoods 9. Does a commercial center (like a shopping mall) affect the sales of the shop? � Yes � No Why? 10. Is there a difference in sales between the past 20 years and now? � Yes � No How so?


Survey to the customers

1. Sex � Male � Female

2. Which do you use more? � Shops in the area � Larger superstore 3. If you use a large superstore more, why?

4. Do you shop online? � Yes � No

5. Where do you typically prefer to buy the following products?:

Neighborhood Outside of the neighborhood

Bread (Bakery) � �

Medicine (Pharmacy) � �

Food � �

Footwear/ shoes � �

Clothes and accessories � �

Computers, electronics, appliances � �

Books, office supplies, music � �

Household items, furniture, etc. � �

Other � �

6. What types of business is the neighborhood missing?

ATTENTION:

This survey should only be for people who live in the neighborhood!


Analyze the data collected over the previous sections (traffic, noise, commerce, and mobility) using a spreadsheet provided by the teacher. Paste below the resulting graphs from the analysis of each section:

Traffic and noise:

Mobility: (6.1. public transportation: which is used most?) Represent this with a bar graph


Commerce for the vendors: (3. Age of the stores) Represent this with a pie chart Commerce of the shoppers: (5. Where do you typically buy these products?) Represent this with a bar graph


12.5.- Biodiversity: Trees and Birds

� Observe and identify some trees around your school or in the environment, with the help of

supporting material or resources. Are there any parks in the area? How many?: Brief observations: Name of the tree or plant: Date: Catalan: Spanish: Scientific name: Approximate height

Photograph of observed tree

Type of bark Shape, appearance of the canopy Leaves: Type: � Single � Compound Shape: Margin: Front color: Reverse side color: Flower Seed and/or fruit Location:


Name of the tree or plant: Date: Catalan: Spanish: Scientific name: Approximate height

Photograph of observed tree

Type of bark Shape, appearance of the canopy Leaves: Type: � Single � Compound Shape: Margin: Front color: Reverse side color: Flower Seed and/or fruit Location:


Also observe the birds in parks or gardens. Identify and photograph each bird, and check them off below.

BIRDS OF BARCELONA

Heron (Ardea cinerea) Herring Gull (Larus michahellis) Rock Dove (Columba livia)

Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Blackbird (Turdus merula) Gray-breasted Parrot (Myiopsitta

monachus)

Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica) Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) Mallard (Anas platyrrinchos)

European Greenfinch (Carduelis

chloris) European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) Common Starling (Stumus vulgaris)

European Serin (Serinus serinus) Great Tit (Parus major) Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala) Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)



Choose one of the birds you´ve seen and photographes, make a careful observation and fill in the form below:

Catalan name:

Spanish name:

Scientific name:

Date: Time: Location:

Is it large or small?

� Smaller than a sparrow

� Like a sparrow

� Between a sparrow and a pigeon

� Between a pigeon and a hen

� Like a hen

� Larger than a hen

What shape did it have?

� More round

� More elongated

How is the tail in relation to its body?

� Large

� Short

� Medium

How are the legs under the body?

� Very long

� Long

� Short

� Very short

How is the neck compared to the rest of the

body?

� Long

� Short

� Medium

What position/orientation was it in when

you observed it?

� Rather horizontal

� Rather vertical

How were the wings?

� Large and pointed

� Short and pointed

� Large and rounded

� Short and rounded

How was the tail?

� Rounded

� Tiered

� Square

� Low-cut

� Ridged

� Forked

How was the beak?

� Small and thin

� Small and thick

� Large and thin

� Large and curved

� In the shape of a shovel

� Very large and thin

� Very large and thick

Where there any patterns that caught your

eye? What were they?

Reference source: Bird guide of Barcelona: http://80.33.141.76/agenda21/download_recurs.php?idRecurs=142

OBSERVATION OF A BIRD


Now paste your picture or better yet, draw it!

To learn how to draw a bird: http://www.vivelanaturaleza.com/naturalista/ObservacionAves.php (click “Ilustrar el cuaderno”) Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYjkTDJ4OFA&feature=related


Documents

The neighborhood explained€¦ · 5.1.- The districts of Barcelona 5.2.- The school district and its neighborhoods 5.3.- The school’s neighborhood 6.- A LANDSCAPE THAT HAS CHANGED