City renewal: Renovation Planning of the old urban area of banjoles, Spain
1. Banyoles, located in the northeast corner of Spain, is an ancient city with a street system of people and cars.
2. In the past, the irrigation canals in the old city provided water for the city and nurtured the private gardens in the old city. With the cancellation of canals and the placement of clean irrigation water underground, the dense garden landscape in the old city no longer exists. The old urban area has gradually deteriorated, and the canals have become a part of the urban sewer system. Arbitrarily parked vehicles occupy the pedestrian space, and the old urban area is no longer friendly.
3. In 2012, Spain's MIAs arquitetes completed the renovation project of the old urban area of banyoles. The project will turn the square space of the whole area into a "pedestrian area", abolish the original pedestrian and vehicle parallel sidewalks around the square, and reuse the tiles and inlays of limestone to cover the central square. The material of limestone makes the square space keep a certain connection with the characteristic buildings, churches, medieval buildings and monuments in the old urban area, and the square becomes an extension space of the building.
4. On the other hand, some abandoned canals have been reactivated, and some areas similar to puddles in the original irrigation system are intermittently expanded in the large square space in the old urban area, which has become a play space for children, and the connection between citizens and water has been re established.
5. "Pedestrian area" has become most of the public space in the old urban area. The pavement texture of the ground has been deliberately made into mismatched treatment, which weakens the linear sex appeal of the ground and enhances the sense of rhythm like water waves. Designers believe that people can safely enjoy the good time accompanied by water in this ancient urban area.
[1] http://www.miasarquitectes.com/portfolio/banyoles-old-town/
