The parks and gardens of Barcelona cover an area of 2,784 hectares.Of the total 2784 hectares, 1795 correspond to the Serra de Collserola, and the rest to green areas, including public parks and gardens, roadside trees (150,912 units), planters (3,816 units), flower beds and slopes; also included are the 6 hectares corresponding to the beaches of Barcelona (2001 data) (AA.VV., 2001, p. 31). Its management depends on the Municipal Institute of Parks and Gardens of Barcelona (in ), a body under the Barcelona City Council. Since the 19th century —and especially in the 20th century— Barcelona has been committed to the development of green areas in the city, and is currently one of the European cities with the most roadside trees (150,000 units). In 2001 the Institute of Parks and Gardens received ISO 14001 certification for the conservation and management of green spaces and public roadside trees.
Gardening in Barcelona has had an uneven evolution over time: the first significant project, the Labyrinth of Horta park, dates back to the 18th century; the first large public park in Barcelona, the Citadel, was opened in the 19th century; but most of the green areas in the city date from the 20th century, a period in which public gardening in the Catalan capital was given a great boost. In this last century gardening has developed mainly in four phases: the first planning carried out by Léon Jaussely in his plan of connections and by Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí, author of an ambitious plan of concentric green areas throughout the city, from Montjuïc to the Besòs; the post-war period saw a setback in the creation of green spaces, mainly due to real estate speculation that led to an increase in the population due to immigration, as well as the priority given to road traffic due to the increase in the number of cars. With the arrival of democracy there was a new impulse to the creation of landscaped spaces, with a predominance of architectural design and a multipurpose sense of space, which added to the plant element service areas and leisure and recreational facilities for the population; finally, towards the end of the century a more naturalistic trend emerged, more in line with the new ideas of ecology and environmental sustainability, with concern not only for parks and large green areas but also for the placement of groves in streets and promenades of the city.
Depending on their characteristics, Barcelona's parks and gardens are divided into several typologies: "historical", those created before 1950, such as the Parc del Laberint d'Horta, the Parc de la Ciutadella, Parc Güell, the gardens of the University of Barcelona, those of Laribal and those of the Palau Reial de Pedralbes; "thematic", which are dedicated to a certain type of plant species, such as the Parc de Cervantes, dedicated to roses, the Mossèn Costa i Llobera gardens, specialized in cacti and succulents, and the Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer gardens, dedicated to aquatic, bulbous and rhizomatous plants; "urban" are the most common type, parks and gardens located in the city and open to all public, with services and multipurpose spaces for the enjoyment of all citizens; and "forest", green spaces of wide extension generally located in areas bordering the city, such as the Sierra de Collserola and the mountain of Montjuïc.
Besides the parks and gardens administrated by the municipality, a number of self-managed, often occupied, green spaces and gardens exist in Barcelona.
Characteristics
Barcelona, capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia, is located in the Spanish Levante region, on the Mediterranean coast. It is located on a plain about 11 km long and 6 km wide, bounded on its sides by the sea and by the Sierra de Collserola —with the summit of Tibidabo (516.2 m) as its highest point— as well as by the deltas of the Besòs and Llobregat rivers. The city's climate is Mediterranean, of the sub-humid maritime xerophytic type, with an average annual temperature of 16.4 °C and a relative humidity of 70%. Rainfall is mainly between October and April, scarce in winter and minimal in summer, with rainfall of 578.74 l/m2 (1997-2002).
The vegetation is Mediterranean, with a predominance of perennial species. The typical forest is encinar (Quercus ilex), and there are also some subtropical species, which need constant irrigation to live outdoors, such as the naranjo (Citrus × sinensis), limonero (Citrus × limon), mimosa (Acacia dealbata), araucaria (Araucaria heterophylla), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) and palm (Phoenix dactylifera). Some species originating in Japan, which has a climate similar to the Mediterranean but with more rainfall in summer, have been acclimatized, such as the pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira) and the spindle (Euonymus japonicus). Of conifers, the most adaptable is the Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica), as well as cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) and thuja (Thuja standishii). Species from other regions of the world with Mediterranean climates, such as California, South Africa, Australia and Chile, have also adapted.
In relation to each specific area of the city, vegetation can vary according to climatic conditions, water resources, altitude, sun exposure, erosion levels, rainfall and wind action. In favorable conditions, species such as pine (Pinus pinea), holm oak (Quercus ilex) and wild olive (Olea europaea sylvestris) predominate; in less favorable conditions, there are phytosystems called maquis, with trees such as the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) and the palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera), or shrubs such as the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), the laurel (Laurus nobilis), the myrtle (Myrtus communis), the rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) or the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus); and in unfavorable conditions, there is garrigue-type vegetation, with free soil and little growth, with xerophytic species such as the gayomba (Spartium junceum), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and salvia (Salvia officinalis).
The city's tree grove is composed of a total of 140 species, of which the most common are: London plane (Platanus × hispanica), honeyberry (Celtis australis), elm (Ulmus pumila), Japanese acacia (Sophora japonica), acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), rosewood (Tipuana tipu), "bottle tree" (Brachychiton populneum), Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra 'Italica'), Japanese privet (Ligustrum lucidum), chinaberry tree (Melia azedarach), black maple (Acer negundo) and bitter orange (Citrus aurantium).
In 1983 the Barcelona City Council initiated a Catalog of Trees of Local Interest, which classifies a group of trees, palms and shrubs that have special relevance due to their botanical value, historical interest or any other significant component for the conservation of the city's green areas. These trees are specially protected, as they cannot be uprooted or affected by any urban development operation. The choice of catalogued species is made by means of a series of parameters that analyze each specimen according to aspects such as age, measurements, history or aesthetic qualities (see here the list of trees of local interest).
The actions of the Municipal Institute of Parks and Gardens have focused for years on sustainability criteria, especially with regard to the planting of native Mediterranean species, more adaptable to the terrain and less hydraulic consumption; irrigation carried out with groundwater or automated irrigation (208 hectares in 2001), where the use of irrigation controlled by hygrometers is being introduced; and the use of organic waste composting for fertilization.
Plant species are cared for according to their typology: in trees and palms, work is focused on pruning, whether it is formation, cleaning or raising the crown, or cleaning dry leaves in the case of palms, in addition to phytosanitary treatments in all these specimens; grass is the one that requires more continuous treatment, mainly mowing, as well as trimming the edges to maintain its structure, and more sporadically the aeration, priming and fertilizing of flowerbeds; as for ground cover and perennials, the former are pruned in winter, early spring and late summer, while the latter require pruning and trimming, as well as a replacement by division of bushes every two or three years; hedges need formation pruning, and maintenance with trimming in early winter and autumn; shrubs are pruned twice a year, in early summer and winter; flowers require constant care, the planting soil is usually prepared first —during the months of April, August and November—, the soil is weeded every month to aerate it and, three times a year, dried flowers are removed; In addition, general maintenance work is carried out throughout the year, such as weeding, repairing the paths and repairing or replacing street furniture, as well as general cleaning and emptying of litter garbage cans.
Another area of vital importance is phytosanitary treatments, planned according to biodiversity and integrated pest management criteria. They are divided into six modalities: cultural, through the selection of species; mechanical, through controlled pruning; biological control, with the use of certain organisms that work against parasites, through the artificial introduction of useful fauna or antagonistic microorganisms; pheromone traps, which work against a sector of the attacking species; chromatic bands, which, like flowers, attract insects; and chemical methods, which can be by plant endotherapy, consisting of the pressurized injection of the phytosanitary product into the plant, or by atomization and phytosanitary applications on the plant.
The Institute of Parks and Gardens also manages a network of urban vegetable gardens in collaboration with groups of retired people, who are responsible for their maintenance and harvesting. These are plots of between 25 and 40 m2, in which vegetables and greens are grown, as well as aromatic and medicinal plants, and some seasonal flowers. There are currently 13 urban gardens scattered throughout the city.
Distribution of green areas and public services by district (2001 data): District Green area (ha) Trees (u) Planters (u) Children playgrounds Petanque courts Areas for dogs Ciutat Vella 62,43 6914 747 24 45 8 Eixample 48,74 23589 571 50 37 20 Sants-Montjuïc 286,48 14588 618 51 39 12 Les Corts 69,58 12100 136 35 16 11 Sarrià-San Gervasio 83,55 12253 287 40 31 19 Gràcia 36,55 6438 291 25 25 10 Horta-Guinardó 122,22 13424 154 79 44 21 Nou Barris 92,72 15412 252 81 28 10 Sant Andreu 54,31 15704 470 76 86 24 Sant Martí 132,09 30490 290 135 90 15 Total 988,67 150912 3816 596 441 150
History
The first traces of gardening in the city come from the Middle Ages, a period in which the garden was mainly found in monastic enclosures, where a garden and a water well were usually located in the cloister, as well as in castles and palaces, where the secular (or "courtly") garden emerged, of small proportions, generally structured from the orchard, around a fountain or pond, with stone benches to sit on. In some gardens of royal palaces the custom arose of housing animals such as ducks, swans or peacocks, sometimes becoming small zoos that could house more exotic animals, such as lions and leopards, as in the garden of the Queen of the Lesser Royal Palace of Barcelona. From the Gothic period a garden courtyard of the Grand Royal Palace of Barcelona (now the Frederic Marès Museum) is preserved, as well as the Orange Tree Courtyard of the Palace of the Generalitat de Catalunya. The cloister of the Cathedral of Barcelona retains its double bowl fountain in the center, with a Gothic pavilion at one angle, and a garden enclosed by iron railings, with palms, magnolias and other ancient trees, and a pond called Fuente de las Ocas (Fountain of the Gooseberries).