La Central library in the Iglesia Nuestra Senora de Misericordia - this church was built in the 16th century and was used as such until the end of the Civil War. Later, it was used as a home and a workshop for a cabinetmaker, and then finally it became the La Central library that is located there today. This library was created in 2003 with the same type of purpose as many of the other sites created in the Raval around that time: to help bring in a new, young, energetic crowd into the area in order to make it safer and more appealing.
MACBA - this is the contemporary art museum in Barcelona. It was opened in November of 1995 and was designed to be an investment in revamping the public spaces of El Raval. Its presence here has brought in art students, patrons, and skater youths alike (as the plaza in the front of the museum is perfect for skateboarding).
CCCB - this is a public museum space available to use by everyone in the area. It hosts a bunch of different exhibitions, art shows, festivals and many other activities. Its main purpose is to promote activity within the neighborhood by involving the neighbors in free, enjoyable, intellectual activities. I saw a journalistic photo exposition here with my photography class called the World Press Photo 2013 exposition - it was absolutely incredible!
University of Barcelona (philosophy and geography buildings) - this campus used to be outside of the city center, but was moved here in order to bring the educated youth into this neighborhood. The government wanted more youth in the area because they bring with them a sense of energy and activity, and when they were integrated into this area, it made El Raval more vibrant and alive.
I think that the coolest thing we got to pass by on this field trip was the "ravalejar" sign. This is a Catalan verb that was created as a sort of motto for the Raval area. It signifies the action of coming to the Raval and experiencing the essence of the neighborhood by walking around and participating in the cultural activities and the atmosphere of the neighborhood. It also signifies how the area has been rebranded from "Barrio Chino" to the Raval.
Finally, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on the "Gentrification of the Raval" CEA activity earlier in the semester, so I've been to El Raval before and have had the opportunity to experience it a few more times since that activity. The areas that we walked through today on our field trip gave me the impression of a safe and active neighborhood, and I was not at all nervous or scared being in any of those spaces. During the CEA activity, we were taken deeper into the southern part of El Raval, which is less gentrified and is a sort of project that has just recently been undertaken by the government. They have begun to add new cultural buildings, including the Filmoteca de Catalunya, and social housing along with these investments. If you'd like to read about my experience, I've posted some excerpts from my field journal below:
"I really enjoyed exploring the Raval neighborhood during the “Gentrification in Barcelona” activity. I am from just outside of New York City originally, so I am fairly familiar with the story of the gentrification of Brooklyn, and I was therefore very intrigued to see how this phenomenon would be shown in El Raval. Walking through the first area we visited, I initially noticed many teenaged kids and youth and several hip boutiques. The streets were very populated and fairly clean, and I felt extremely safe walking here. Although we were clearly an American tour group, I felt no stares or animosity. I would come back to this particular area with a friend or group of friends without question (this includes the Hospital Santa Creu). As we continued on, however, I began to notice that the streets were emptying out and the stores were more local (like markets and small restaurant/bars). There seemed to be a fairly defined line between where tourists ventured and where they would not go. It was past this line that I began to feel unsafe. Because we were with Katryn and Anna, I did not feel like I was in any danger, but it was obvious that the people on the streets were a bit more dodgy. For example, at one point, we passed through a street lined with several prostitutes. While on their own prostitutes do not strike me as particularly dangerous, I automatically associate them with other illegal activity and feel uncomfortable. In the United States, any area with prostitutes standing in the open is generally an area that also has higher crime rates in areas such as muggings or car-jackings. When I saw these prostitutes in El Raval, I immediately felt my heart beat faster because I am so used to fleeing to a safer area if I see any sight of this type of activity. In this same general area, I also started noticing much more racial/ethnic diversity. There were several stores with Pakistani workers and offers for Pakistani people (such as one which appeared to be translators, for example). We discussed at our next sit-down stop that these people were one example of immigrants in Barcelona. This was similar to what I’m used to seeing in America; there tend to be more languages spoken and more races to be seen (including immigrants) in less developed and more “dangerous” areas because the rent tends to be much lower."
"Overall, I had a great experience in the Raval area, and I personally concluded that the neighborhood was about halfway gentrified. The beginning area that we walked though appeared to me to be gentrified and is a place I would gladly return to, hopefully at night to check out the hip bar scene! However, I probably won’t return to the second un-gentrified half, especially at night."
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