Outdoor Terraces in Barcelona and Milan: Configuration of New Spaces for Social Interaction

Emma Maev O’Connell, Eulàlia Gomez-Escoda and Álvaro Clua Uceda
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Emma Maev O’Connell: Department of Urban Design and Territorial Planning, UPC-Barcelona TECH, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Eulàlia Gomez-Escoda: Barcelona Laboratory of Urbanism, UPC-Barcelona TECH, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Álvaro Clua Uceda: Barcelona Laboratory of Urbanism, UPC-Barcelona TECH, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-32

Abstract: This work approaches the phenomenon of the outdoor terraces of bars and restaurants, analysing the role of these privately owned collective elements whose layout has shaped the urban landscape at the pavement level for more than a century, and whose presence has become essential in the streets of many cities after a pandemic. The research highlights the interest of terraces as dynamic elements of urbanity: private domains in the public space where people eat collectively; they are apparently simple units that synthesise complex conflicts between individual behaviours and property boundary conditions. The investigation shows the increasing expansion that outdoor terraces have experienced since 2020, using the cities of Barcelona and Milan as case studies. A series of GIS maps show the image of both cities before and after the pandemic, allowing us to evaluate the amount of public space allocated to terraces, measure their increase in number and surface, establish the proportions of occupation of the street and find the patterns of concentration in the public space. Finally, the article offers some policy and planning recommendations based on the research findings.

Keywords: outdoor dining; terraces; pavement cafes; sidewalk cafes; parklets; public space; urban design; city; Barcelona; Milan; food; social distancing; pandemic; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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