Pedestrian connection between Barcelona and Montcada i Reixac

The goal is the consolidation and improvement of a pedestrian crossing, currently inaccessible and unsafe, between the Vallbona and Can Sant Joan districts. The layout and the slope of the existing road have been slightly regularised to solve the lack of connection between adjacent districts with a firm commitment to soft mobility and a biophilic city: healthy, less polluted and accessible to all.

The new pathway, which acts as a viewpoint over the Besòs river, is 175 m long and forms a gently sloping route for pedestrians in a re-naturalised environment. The path links the urban pedestrian network with the metropolitan system of open spaces in one of the shortest connections between Barcelona and Montcada. With the definition of a type cross-section and the choice of a reduced material palette of a complex project is resolved in a simple way that takes the features of the site into account and is adapted at each point to maintain the existing vegetation and slopes in the most respectful way possible. The esplanade adjacent to the Primero de Mayo square is also being refurbished with fruit trees, creating an urban gateway where an insect hotel will be installed.

Connecting cities. The consolidation of a narrow path on the eastern slope of the Vallbona hill improves the connectivity of the metropolis by bringing nature closer to the citizens. Despite the rugged terrain, an accessible path is being built which, once the railway lines have been buried will become the only connection between Montcada and Barcelona along the Besòs River.

Respecting nature. The pontoon-type footbridge on piles maintains the dynamics of the site, facilitating the passage of fauna and maintaining the continuity of the water in the natural flow line. The 2-m wide pathway avoids major earthworks while maintaining the orography of the site and respecting the existing pine trees.

Rainwater management. The areas in proximity to the urban fabric where the orography is more favourable allow construction of a dike-type path with a gabion wall to retain and control surface runoff, favouring the stability of the slope formed by strata of highly-disaggregated slate and illegal dumping.