Cardener River Corridor, Catalunya Spain

This Planning Study is built upon the existing regional and municipal plans that set forth common goals for the Cardener River corridor. The Planning Study is an exploration of possible implementations that follow from existing plans and from the current circumstances of the four municipalities: Manresa, Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, Callús and Súria.

The approachemploys the focus of regional planning to encourage the sharing of the common resources and initiatives in order to strengthen each town’s uniqueness while simultaneously reinforcing the region’s assets. Each suggested intervention addresses the ability of particular sites to attract particular uses while adding to the wellbeing of the corridor as a whole. Thus, residents from the entire region can take advantage of Manressa’s recreational zone, the Rambla at Callus, or the ecological center and forest reserve at Antius and Suria. The goal of each suggested intervention is to create new uses that acknowledge the character of the corridor, rather than turning its back upon the past. All are put forth with strong sensitivity to environmental condition. The proposals seek to help the Cardener watershed and its natural systems to return to a healthy state rather than furthering the damaging effects that development often causes to the landscape.