In the current context, where gentrification is a global issue, Al Barri emerges as a community response based on what is at stake: the homes of people and the identity of their neighbourhoods and cities. Despite its global vision, the project focuses on Girona, specifically the Barri Vell, a neighbourhood that has undergone a long-term process of gentrification, notably driven by the prioritisation of the tourism and real estate sectors over the local community. One of the most significant causes was the Special Plan for Internal Reform (PERI), which lasted from 1983 to 2007. This Plan led to the deconstruction of a community-based way of life, centred around proximity and solidarity in citizen relations, replacing it with a seasonal tourist attraction model, one that transforms homes into transactions and “unsuccessfully tries to blend in with its surroundings and inhabitants; inhabitants who have disappeared because it is no longer possible to live in these places” (Sindicat Alt Maresme, 2020).

( The Editorial* )

Al Barri collects the voices of the local residents, who tell the story of the neighbourhood through five chapters. These cover topics such as the displacement of the Roma community, the transformation of the Chinese Quarter before and after its redevelopment, and the impact of tourism in recent years. The editorial design becomes an active tool of protest, with pages that mimic posters and graphic elements that reflect the architecture of the homes in the Barri Vell. This piece amplifies the voices that have been ignored, presenting the history of the area without altering it, and ultimately sharing it with both the local community and the tourism sector as an educational resource.

* All the tools developed during the Al Barri project are open-source and free to use. You can access the online Editorial

here.