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Meanwhile in Andalusia

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    Cycling through the white villages of Andalusia on Spain’s implausibly smooth roads, under warm blue skies, is pretty much my dream holiday. And for me holidays are often about the contrasts, for good or ill, that we draw with life back home. Aside from the obvious absence of potholes, what struck me most as we meandered through those villages was the fastidious care given to their public realm. With pavements and kerbs the responsibility of residents - constantly seen sweeping up the dust and occasional litter from in front of their houses - and the busy village plazas and public spaces falling to the ubiquitous municipal worker. However small or poor a village seemed to be, their civic pride was self-evident. And I suspect Spain’s uniquely chaotic system of local government has something to do with this. Predominantly a bottom up, demand-led arrangement, albeit with a hefty dose of top-down coordination, it has evolved out of the Franco era. As heterogeneous and hyper-local as ours is homogenous and centralised, local government in Spain seems specifically tailored to suit its people with the precise form being largely determined by local preference. Messy it may be, but if citizens feel truly engaged, isn’t that the point?

    Best wishes

    Angus Hardie, Director

    Email: angus@scottishcommunityalliance.org.uk

    Posted 1 year ago #
  2. gembo
    Member

    See The Lang Whang Wombles, guy came back from USA and lived Baad Park for couple of years and had us adopt strips of the A70. He analysed our rubbish and Irn Bru ahead of Coke. White villages nice for sure. Coast road not for bikes. John Cale has lovely song called Andalusia.

    Posted 1 year ago #

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