Sustainable and Healthy Transport
March 21, 2024Sustainable and Healthy Transport
March 21, 2024Share
20 / 03 / 2024
The Last Shepherd of Collserola: The Rebirth of Shepherding in the Urban Heart
The vibrant urban tapestry of Barcelona intertwines with nature in an unexpected fusion at the city's entrance via Diagonal Avenue. What was once a void between the neighborhoods of Finestrelles, Ciutat Diagonal, and Can Vidalet now stands as a testament to the symbiosis between the urban and the natural, thanks to the transformative vision driven by Batlleiroig architecture.
Photograph: Batlleiroig.
Cayetano García, a shepherd whose connection with Collserola dates back decades, has witnessed this evolution. With his flock of sheep, he has forged a path of cooperation between the city and Collserola Park. While the sheep roam, their grazing helps prevent fires, a silent yet vital service for the community. However, his efforts have rarely received the recognition they deserve, until recently, when the attention of a group of international students shed light on his work.
These students, as part of the MBLandArch master's program in landscape architecture at UPC, have converged with Cayetano and Enric Batlle to explore the integration of nature into the Porta Barcelona urban project. BIR's vision of transforming this space into a vast urban meadow, a harmonious transition between green and asphalt, has sparked reflections on the coexistence between the city and its natural surroundings.
Photograph: Stupendastic. Granted by Batlleiroig
"We must find new models of coexistence between the city and nature," emphasizes Batlle, highlighting the need for balanced management of peri-urban spaces The students have analyzed conservation efforts and discovered the aesthetic and economic benefits of traditional methods, such as shepherding, over technological techniques.
Photograph: Stupendastic. Granted by Batlleiroig
Local administration support has been crucial in this process. The mayor of Esplugues, Pilar Díaz, has promised to support the regular presence of Cayetano's flock in the Finestrelles neighborhood, recognizing the value of this initiative for the community and the environment. In a visionary twist, Enric Batlle even contemplates the possibility of sustainable local productivity, posing the question: if the artichokes from Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat are so appreciated, why not the lamb from Collserola?
In this vibrant crucible of ideas and collaboration, a new urban paradigm emerges where the presence of sheep is not only exotic but essential. They are guardians of balance, reminding us that the city and nature are destined to coexist in harmony at the threshold of Collserola.
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