Interesting article. I live in Barcelona and I'd say there are a few more reasons why they work well. One is to do with the values and norms of many people living in Catalonia and Spain, and another would be that the superblocks are not that different from the Ramblas that pretty much each neighbourhood has (or a version of it), a wide largely pedestrian or at least a sectioned-off pedestrian strip in the middle where bars can put out their tables and chairs, there are benches to sit on, are generally tree-lined, and people walk their dogs, etc. Carrer Meridiana, Rambla de Hospitalet, Rambla de Poblenou, Passeig de Sant Joan, and of course the famous Rambla de Catalunya, etc. There are also many pedestrianised streets -- most of Gracia is for pedestrians, Gran via de Catalanes and Diagonal are being made into one long Rambla, and so on. Plazas are also quite common in all neighbourhoods so the idea of making spaces for people to just interact and relax, is not revolutionary. Superillas are cool, but they're an addition to what already exists.
Interesting article. I live in Barcelona and I'd say there are a few more reasons why they work well. One is to do with the values and norms of many people living in Catalonia and Spain, and another would be that the superblocks are not that different from the Ramblas that pretty much each neighbourhood has (or a version of it), a wide largely pedestrian or at least a sectioned-off pedestrian strip in the middle where bars can put out their tables and chairs, there are benches to sit on, are generally tree-lined, and people walk their dogs, etc. Carrer Meridiana, Rambla de Hospitalet, Rambla de Poblenou, Passeig de Sant Joan, and of course the famous Rambla de Catalunya, etc. There are also many pedestrianised streets -- most of Gracia is for pedestrians, Gran via de Catalanes and Diagonal are being made into one long Rambla, and so on. Plazas are also quite common in all neighbourhoods so the idea of making spaces for people to just interact and relax, is not revolutionary. Superillas are cool, but they're an addition to what already exists.