I believe sites and built environments have a soul or nature just like people. That nature is sometimes hard to see, however in the case of Zona Franca it became quite clear from the start.
The nature of Zona Franca is that it is an unfinished act. Situated near the port of barcelona in an important logistics area several buildings planned for its intervention remain unbuilt, while some of the built ones remain empty. Disconnected from Barcelona´s subway system, the recent works for a new subway line are also unfinished…
So, how can Zona Franca contribute for a smarter city? The answer is matter. Matter acording to Cityprotocol referring as goods (logistics) and fuel (energy). Matter as states: solid, liquid… static, dynamic.
The unfinished Design Studio research analysis would have been mapping food and fuel, the base of our society, using gps devices to track their movements and schedules.
The vision could have been studying how an infrastructure like the subway grid could, from 00:00 am to 06:00 am, work as a distributing network for those goods throughout the city.
The power of infrastructures to change their surrounding environment and evolve through time is unlimited, they just have to be well designed and/or redesigned…
Recommended reference by Maite Bravo:
Carolyn Steel – FOODTOPIA
http://www.ted.com/talks/carolyn_steel_how_food_shapes_our_cities.html