Barcelona journalist Ramon Pellicer has given his view on the city’s character, saying Barcelona has no need to envy Madrid, apart from its capital status. Speaking on betevé’s Mirador Barcelona, he said Madrid has the advantages that come with being the state capital, while Barcelona has other strengths of its own.
Pellicer said Madrid benefits from budgets that come with that role, but he also pointed to what Barcelona has that Madrid cannot match so easily, including its proximity to the sea. For him, the comparison is not about one city beating the other, but about different kinds of privilege.
He also spoke about his own life in the city. Born at the Clínica de Santa Madrona on Carrer d’Aragó, he grew up in Parc i La Llacuna del Poblenou neighbourhood in Sant Martí, lived in Les Corts and Pedralbes, and has spent the past 26 years in Sarrià. He said he feels very comfortable in Barcelona and feels more out of place when he is away from it.
Pellicer reflected on how Poblenou has changed, from a former industrial area to one reshaped by the 1992 Olympic Games and the 22@ innovation district. He remembered it as a street with everything close by, but said he does not like the loss of neighbourly warmth that came with later change. That view fits wider debates in Barcelona about urban change and community life.
He also backed more space for cycling and sustainable transport in the city. Pellicer said Barcelona needs more bike lanes, and pointed to Passeig de la Bona Nova in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi as an area where he thinks the current setup is not enough. The city has continued to expand its cycling network as part of wider efforts to cut car use and improve air quality.
Pellicer, who began his career at TV3 in the late 1980s and later presented Telediario on TVE before returning to TV3, said he plans to stay in Barcelona over the summer and keep walking the city. He also said he wants Barcelona to keep growing, even with the limits set by the sea, Collserola, and the Besòs and Llobregat rivers. Read more local coverage of how Barcelona is changing.
Originally published by betevé. Read the original report.
