The research analyzes the image of Barcelona and compares differences in quantity, variety and proximity of some essential services in diverse urban fragments. Focusing on food and health premises as critical universal services, series of maps provide overviews on the intensity of use to which each service is subjected, latent logics of their physical proximity and performance in regular urban fabrics due to the combination of activities and population distribution. The research uses a methodological approach and parameterization of the minimum daily urban mixture to highlight the uniqueness of the case of Barcelona, distinguished by the compactness of the urban fabric and the contiguity of activities, and to describe an extensive characterization of areas that from this perspective can be considered hyper-served or under-served. This investigation aims to contribute to the understanding of the necessity of the urban mixture and to provide clues about the distribution of services and activities.

The concept of mixed-use urban planning is gaining recognition as a crucial element in the development of sustainable and vibrant urban environments. In contrast, many 20th-century cities were designed with segregated land uses and monofunctional zones, following the principles set out in the 1933 Athens Charter. Over time, this approach has been widely criticized, and in the present era, mixed-use environments are praised for fostering social interaction, generating economic synergies, and reducing environmental impacts. This article explores the complex relationship between urban activities, morphology, and planning, with a particular focus on the Barcelona metropolitan area. Utilizing GIS mapping and morphological drawings, this research offers innovative perspectives by analyzing a series of selected urban fragments, highlighting the differences and similarities among various urban fabrics. After a review of the evolution of mixed-use planning regulations and plans since the mid-20th century, a threefold analysis was conducted: examining planning standards and codes, assessing the ground floor activities in promoting urban mixticity, and defining the characteristics of urban patterns’ vitality. Through mapping and indexes, the research offers both qualitative and quantitative evaluations, uncovering new tools to better understand functional mix as a critical element in addressing the challenges of contemporary urbanization.

This article explores empirical and objective approaches to combinations of non-residential activities in contemporary urban settings. The research measures the mix of uses in compact cities through the analysis of an urban fragment of Barcelona with high population density that is strolled around daily by thousands of tourists and intensified by a unique combination of daily services, commercial uses and productive activities. The resulting cartography offers a parametric interpretation at the scale of plots, blocks and streets, and establishes some tools to better understand the spatial relations of urban functional mix and proximity.

Beyond the binary, traditional, figure-ground reading of urban patterns, this research presents a graduated expression of the geometry of urban spaces from a perceptive point of view. This highlights the spatial relationships and introduces a new set of criteria to evaluate contemporary open spaces according to visual experience. The study produces an innovative reading of central Barcelona by mapping of Visual Clustering Coefficient, one of the parameters derived from the Visual Graph Analysis of isovists.

Contemporary urban planning faces the ongoing challenge of developing Green Infrastructure capable of providing vital ecosystem services. Within this framework, the Barcelona metropolitan area has advanced a network of parks that, while serving local neighborhoods, also aim for metropolitan relevance. This study offers a forward-looking analysis of selected parks in the southern Llobregat River basin—an area shaped by historic villages and working-class settlements—to evaluate their contribution to both Green Infrastructure and the region’s polycentric structure. Building on previous landmark studies and multidisciplinary perspectives, the research examines eight parks through four spatial and scalar lenses, assessing their territorial role and accessibility, ecological connectivity, urban integration and permeability, and landscape design with both qualitative and quantitative data. Using a comparative framework alongside research-by-design methods tested in urban design studios, the research links analytical insights to design-based strategies. The outcome is a set of actionable guidelines aimed at enhancing local park performance, with broader implications for over 50 ‘Metropolitan Parks’ spread in more than 30 municipalities. These insights contribute to shaping a more integrated, livable, and resilient metropolitan region.

Since the 1960s, the suburbanization of Barcelona Metropolitan Region has unfolded under ideals of an “American dream” transplanted into a Southern European context characterized by limited resources and a dispersed network of small urban settlements. This process has produced only a small number of true “garden cities,” alongside a much larger share of scattered single-family housing developments, many of which still suffer from significant infrastructure deficits. This article examines the contradictions and tensions between residents’ expectations and rights, and public policies and regulatory frameworks that have often adopted restrictive rather than constructive approaches. It develops a critical retrospective analysis at two complementary scales in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region. At a large scale, the extent of the urbanization phenomenon is presented through general data, outlining how urban policies over the past three decades have managed to “prevent” new developments of this type. At a more detailed scale, it presents and analyses two contrasting planning experiences co-led by the authors, aimed at upgrading suburban areas located less than 30 minutes from the city center. These case studies include diagnostic assessments, participatory processes, and planning proposals addressing micro-densification, mobility improvements, urban infrastructure upgrading, and the provision of basic services. Finally, the article discusses the need to contain further suburban expansion, including through the reassessment of developable land allocations, while also exploring the consolidation of existing suburban developments by defining urban strategies for their legalization, improving their services, and examining the potential for minimal densification that would enhance the sustainability of these areas.