Sensual City Studio

TOWARDS A SENSORY METROPOLIS

Everyone has his or her own image of a Mediterranean city. Above all, it is a series of sensations: the intense blue sky, the sparkling sea, the pine trees swaying in the breeze, the laundry hanging from the corners of apartment windows, the particular sound of the wind, the clacking of petanque balls, the too-noisy motorbikes, the conversations that float through the air until late at night, the smells that waft amidst the streets. Impressions such as these do not easily find a place in manuals of urbanism. They are, however, what makes Mediterranean cities so unique and beautiful. Well beyond their territorial and administrative divisions, cities in the Mediterranean arc share similar cultural and experiential features. From Genova to Barcelona, through Nice, Marseille and Montpellier, the ten million inhabitants of the area each embrace the same landscape—that is, one that faces the sea, and is most often flanked by the pronounced reliefs of the hinterland. They bask in the same climate that creates similarities in their rhythms and their daily preoccupations.

A PANORAMA OF THE SEA

The coastal motorway is much more than a functional route: it represents an individual travel experience in a magnificent landscape with the shimmering marine horizon extending as far as the eye can see. The motorway, which runs continuously from Barcelona to Genoa, is currently the only infrastructure which unites the magnificent panorama of the Mediterranean Arc.

PUBLIC SPACES: COMMUNITY AND USAGE

An important part of what made European urban life grew out of ancient Mediterranean culture. Its influence can still be felt today. Until recently, the Mediterranean Arc cities found a way to preserve an enjoyment of public space grounded in a long history in which a significant part of private life has found a home in the streets. The amount of time given to conversation – as much in the streets as in public squares, doorways, terraces, balconies, etc. – from early in the morning to late at night, lent a particular intensity to the way public space was shared by the entire community and created a vibrant atmosphere which is now fading away. In the evening, in Genoa and Barcelona, only the oldest residents set up their folding chairs in doorways, that subtle liminal space between public and private, spending the entire evening watching passersby and chatting with their neighbours. The fundamental changes brought about by post-war town planning and the extension of suburbs from the 1960s seriously affected this culture of conversation. Southern cities have been, without a doubt, more adversely affected by recent urban developments than those in the North. The damage has been far greater.