Skating in the Raval
by Max Salvadó
The practice of skateboarding characterizes the Raval neighbourhood. When you step into the central district of Barcelona, you are more likely to run into someone riding a skateboard than a car or a motorbike.
In fact, for some years now, this sport has been very remarkable and popular in the area. It has become a place of pilgrimage for skaters from around the world and a commonplace for practising tricks for local skaters.
However, the Raval residents are fed up to bear people coming to skate in their neighbourhood because they ruined the peace of the area. The noise of skateboards, the screams at any time of the day or night, bottles or cans leave it on the ground, and so on, make coexistence difficult between these different groups. In some way, we can say that exist a constant struggle between neighbours and the “skaters” community.
However, when you look for some information about the skate culture in this neighbourhood is difficult to find some and, even the Google algorithm seems to hide it from you. To make it clear, the information gathered in Google’s research shows some sports centres that people can find around their location.
In conclusion, what I have been able to extract is that people who live there don’t like to share the public space with skaters.
Finally, let me introduce some Iconic places in Raval’s neighbourhood where skaters are performing their tricks:
- Universitat Blanquerna-Facultat de Comunicació (Plaça de Joan Coromines)
- MACBA (Plaça dels Àngels)
Pictures: Ben Allan, Frans Ruiter
