Ordinary transborder landscapes "at work": learning from Pas de la Casa

Abstract

This paper, starting from the exposition of urban and landscape renewal projects developed during a workshop, will discuss the relation between the National Landscape Strategies of Andorra and the role of landscape design in providing responses to the transformation process occurring border towns. The case of Pas de la Casa in Andorra, a ski resort village and a border tourism outlet, will be discussed as a pilot case in comparison with other border landscapes across Europe. Today Pas de la Casa is an intermittent centre : during the year the city life is conditioned by the rhythm of skiing activities, while during the day it follows the opening time of the shops. The permanent residents suffer when the city is empty of tourists and becomes a ghost town, where public spaces and the opportunities to meet and socialize do not exist . Therefore the projects seek to create public spaces and facilities for the inhabitants, where to meet and socialize, getting out of shopping malls.