I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and I love the outdoors. Due to this, one of my favorite things about Barcelona is its natural landscape. As I discussed in my last post, this city has both mar (sea) and montañas (mountains). Yet, even within the city itself, Barcelona is full of great outdoor spaces such as parks, plazas and beaches. These spaces bring people of all ages together.
One community need that I think is prevalent in all cities is the need to experience the outdoors. I learned about this need about three years ago, in my transition from living in Portland, a city with many outdoor spaces, to the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. For example, Portland is a city that is renowned for its access to the outdoors. (Have you ever been to Forest Park or walked around the waterfront?) However, many big cities are not this way, and have less access to the outdoors. Therefore, people in many cities have to get most of their outdoor experience in plazas or city parks.
