Madrid vs. Barcelona - Theory Blog Post 2

Architecturally speaking, Barcelona and Madrid are two very different cities.  In Barcelona, the general layout of the city consists of a few very different zones, each with their own unique style of urban planning. For example, the Gothic quarter, the Eixample, and Gracia are three very different places with very different urban planning; however they all somehow come together in one way or another.  Each region also has its own unique style of building. In the Eixample, the buildings are relatively modern.  In the Gothic quarter, all of the buildings are old, and if they are new, they typically have original facades.  In Gracia, again, most of the buildings are old.  In Madrid I got the feeling that there wasn’t as much meticulous attention given to the city layout.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that the urban planning of Madrid is bad, it’s just different.  The older parts of the city don’t end up blending into the new parts of the city with respect to planning, however the buildings are mix and matched.  Throughout the city, there could be a classic building right next to a brand new building with a completely new style.  A perfect example of this is the Reina Sofia Art Museum. Most of the museum is a square, classical building with a typical inner courtyard, but the new addition by Jean Nouvel is as modern a building as any, and it shares no characteristics with the old building. Somehow it works, however.  In Barcelona, something like this would never fly.

~Anthony A