PLANNING FOR THE PERIURBAN: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE AGRARIAN PARK OF THE BAIX LLOBREGAT

Abstract

The Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat (PABL) is a leading European example of how to manage peri-urban agricultural systems in highly complex metropolitan areas. Located along a strategic infrastructure corridor in the Barcelona region, the park integrates fertile agricultural land, ecological networks, and urban pressures, playing a pivotal role in regional food policy and territorial resilience. Its institutional evolution has established a multilevel governance framework that can coordinate regulatory protection, agricultural production, and spatial development. Adopting a bioregionalist perspective, this article interprets the PABL as a territorial laboratory in which environmental, productive, and social cycles are continuously sustained through cooperative mechanisms and shared institutional arrangements. The study emphasises the importance of governance continuity in stabilising agro-ecological practices, reinforcing short supply chains, and preventing land speculation. It outlines future trajectories centred on proximity-based economies and collective land management.