Urban movement, local press, and change in landscape perception in Santa Coloma de Gramenet

Abstract

Santa Coloma de Gramanet represents an example of suburbial growth in the Barcelona area during the second half of the 20th century. The accumulation of social deficits due to lack of planning and real state speculation prompted a strong neighborhood movement that initiated the recovery of the city. A local publication -the journal Grama-became the spokesman of this movement. This article, attempting to combine the theoretical elements of Humanistic and Critical Geography, analyzes the perception of day-to-day spaces by the citizens of Santa Coloma de Gramenet from the Grama pages, and the influence of the journal in the identity-building process of a suburbial urban area.