16 spaces in Barcelona will have new women’s names from this March

After adding 9 new women to the city a year ago, starting this March 16 streets, gardens, squares and interior blocks of the city of Barcelona will have new women’s names. Coinciding with the month of International Women’s DayBarcelona City Council will change the nomenclature of these public spaces to “compensate for the historical oblivion of women”, adding to the street guide such important female names as that of the poet and painter Felicia Fuster and Viladecans or that of the activist and philosopher Gretel Amman. From this weekend, the acts of discovering the names and some commemorative plaques that will also be installed will begin.

The commission of nomenclature of the council and the families of the honored women have approved all the changes, thought by include women who “represent” the popular class, the neighborhood movement and the city’s feminism to relieve names that now predominate there, more related to the noble classes. If we look at the data for streets with men’s and women’s names, we see a great disparity: 35% of streets in Barcelona have a man’s name, while only 8.3% have a woman’s name. However, in the last 8 years, women’s names have increased by more than two percentage points.

In any case, this increase is still “little”, as declared by the councilor of the Old Town, Jordi Rabassa, who has affirmed that the council is faced with the disadvantage that the city is not growing and to incorporate some women’s names they have to remove men’s names. All in all, the City Council’s commitment to contributing to the feminization of the streets and squares is firm, and for this reason it has proposed to “introduce as many women’s names as possible” in the new spaces of the city.

16 new names scattered around the city

As for the exact numbers, women’s names will be added throughout the month 3 streets, 2 interiors of the Eixample block, 9 spaces, 1 garden and 1 passage. In Ciutat Vella, Carrer Comte de Santa Clara will change its name to de Felicia Fuster and Viladecans and, in Carrer de l’Om, a blue plaque will be inaugurated to pay tribute Amalia Alegre, who was a militant activist of Alejandro Lerroux’s Radical Party. In the Eixample area, two interior blocks will bear women’s names: the Gardens of Numax Workerson Carrer Sicília, and the Cristina Fernández Gardens.

In Sants-Montjuïc, two squares will be named after women: one in honor of the teacher and historian Valerie Powlesand the other at Workers of the Old Steam. Close by, in Les Corts, the honoree will be the pro-independence political activist Carme Claramunt i Barot. As for the district of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, the architect Rosa Beard Casanovas she will cede her name to a step, while Gràcia will add the name of the pioneer swimmer Josefina Torrens Islands in their streets In this area, it will be commemorated Pepita Pardell Terrades i a Emeritus Arbonés Sarrias with a plate

In the Sant Martí area, two women will name streets, Gretel Amman and Lola Iturbewhile a garden will pay tribute to the architect Margarita Brender and Rubira. A place will also be dedicated to Lolita Torrentó and Prim. In this same district, a square will bear the name of Carmen Balcellsa lectern will be dedicated to the Women of the Board of Trustees closed and the square will be inaugurated Rosalind Franklin. If we climb up to Horta-Guinardó we will discover the new squares of the activists Ramona Fossas i Puig and Rosa Galobardes i Alsina. Luisa Alba Cereceda will have a place in Nou Barris. Finally, the square dedicated to the activist will be named in Sant Andreu Francesca Vergés.