Jordi Rubió i Balaguer Library, Sant Boi, Barcelona
The library Jordi Rubió i Balaguer is a central public library in the municipality of Sant Boi de Llobregat, next to Maria Aurèlia Capmany (branch). As an urban network, Sant Boi libraries work with the aim for the citizens to perceive that they can enjoy a global service as Sant Boi Libraries, although each library locally develops its funds, services and activities according to its own characteristics and the population they attend.
The Challenge Journey
Who are the community/citizens working on the Europe Challenge?
The communities working the Europe Challenge are diverse and include neighbourhood associations, local government staff, apiarists, educational community and citizen associations in the local region.
How did you identify and engage your community?
Through a series of lab and exchanges with the Social Innovation Lab, educational community and environmentalists the topic emerged on looking and caring for the health of the local environment, considering local issues, which are a shared challenge and affect other regions across Europe.
What is your overall challenge topic? Which concrete challenges have your communities decided to address and why?
The challenge teams are working on improving access to public space and the environment. They are currently selecting their specific challenges in their teams. As the library starts to resume and opens after the pandemic subsides, citizen-led activities and challenges teams are pushing forward and further identify their solutions.
How are your communities driving the challenge and what tools are they using?
The focus on live physical events has kick started processes and also lab focused work. "For us, public space must be free, open, comfortable and always looking for community benefits to make our own ideas and projects something for everyone." Siliva, student associated with Sant Boi library.
How are your communities reimagining public space?
By starting off with making the public space around the library more accessible both environmentally and during the time when the library has been closed because of the pandemic. Further work is planned with the re-opening of the library and new activities associated to challenge work.
How do you see the solutions to your local challenge being replicable / adaptable for other people and in other European contexts?
Sant Boi library is exploring how their ideas will be replicable and appropiate to other European contexts. How is the sustainablity approached and managed in open, public space?
Articles and publicity
Stay tuned for more content to come!