244 The Barcelona Region’s land mosaic
Perspective and approach
Nowlet us examine more closely the project and see the major results
and recommendations in context. The background perspective for the project
was very similar to that presented in the opening section of this book.
Landis home and heritage, also capital and investment. Both types are scarce
in an urban region, yet land is still being ‘‘wasted” there. A dense population
depends daily and fundamentally on natural systems that are out of sight, out of
thecity. But like a hungry giant, uncontrolled urban expansion devours the clos-
est and best resources. These regions are dynamic mosaics with human pieces
expanding and natural pieces shrinking, leaving the fundamental human depen-
dence on nature’s resources riskier, less sustainable.
Flows and changing patternsacross the land are central foundations for plan-
ning an urban region. Surface water flowing in streams and rivers supports many
human needs, from clean drinking water to recreation, wastewater treatment,
and aesthetics. Groundwater flows create ‘‘underground reservoirs” that sup-
port wells, agriculture, and diverse natural plant communities. Wildlife moves
across the land, a key value for recreation, even human culture. At the same
time, unpolluted water becomes scarce and expensive. Traffic jams proliferate.
Highways subdivide nature into pieces. Appealing recreational and tourist sites
degrade. Impermeable surfaces spread and flood peaks get higher. Productive
agriculture and family farms shrink. All so familiar. People of the region, long
dependent on local resources and benefits of natural systems, must increasingly
depend on more distant, more expensive resources.
In Barcelona we stand on a threshold at the onset of the century. Most of
theimportant agricultural areas in the region could shrivel up, or alternatively
continue as a key resource in the land. Cities, towns and villages could merge,
forexample in the Central Valles area, into a single huge amorphous urbanized
zone, or alternatively, the municipalities could maintain, even enhance, their
identities and distinctiveness. The Llobregat River delta right next to the city
could be all urbanized, or could be a distinctive, striking area celebrating its
unique resource, abundant clean water. Towns and small cities could drown
in traffic, or could have convenient walkable small-to-medium industries and
neighborhood parks around their edges. And on and on. A rich set of natural
resources for the people could still be in Barcelona’s future, but at the present
rateand trajectory, that set will be noticeably diminished in a decade or two.
Investing in natural systems also pays economic dividends. Thus revamping
floodplain design, targeting a handful of pollution sources, maintaining large
agricultural landscapes, and concentrating rather than dispersing development
can significantly reduce costs, e.g., of flood damage, increasingly scarce water
supply, infrastructure and servicing, and market-gardening products. More