From the Forum (GEF) to the city (BCN) – First Global Eco Forum is underway in Barcelona… and from here??

The first Global Eco Forum is underway, yesterday was the meeting in the real world in Barcelona (BCN), a very interesting, mostly inspiring, sometimes frightening, sometimes conflictive event that went on all day. I think its unanimous that the Michael Braungart (Cradle to Cradle) and Gunter Pauli (Zeri Foundation) discussion was the highlight: content, ideas, passion for radically changing the way the world works, doing not just talking…

Michael Braungart: 2008 Interview – becoming native to the planet

Gunter Pauli, The power of system design

Towards a healthier, happier, eco-effective Barcelona

We, at EIG, recently proposed some BOLD ideas for how BCN might grow. We think these ideas are feasible and that many of them could be implemented immediately and cheaply. Apart from radically changing the eco performance of the city, we believe that they would hugely affect the livability of the city, and indeed enliven the very soul of this strange city.

We would like if you viewed the short PDF document, Towards a healthier, happier, eco-effective Barcelona of only 9 pages with many images and with that, should you agree with all or some of the proposals, give us suggestions as to how best we can realise these dreams.

Here are just 2 of the ideas proposed:

Vias Verdes BCN + Green Roof BCN

Vias Verdes BCN: greenway network for city of BCN

Ciutadella and her green routes: A series of organic root like threads come from BCN´s park, her green heart, and weave to and through the rest of the greenway network.

Parc de la Ciutadella is not only the cities strategically placed central green lung; it happens to make up one of the most deeply loaded parts of Barcelona’s, and indeed Catalunya’s, urban and social history. In short; it matters. From this much loved city space, and always connecting back to and through it, are the 3 ripples; a series of radiating greenways that form a simple orbital matrix, the spine of the network. This structure forms the organising system through which all future greenways routes (roots) weave, from within the city out to her sea, rivers and surrounding hills. And from there to the wider Euro and Global network…