In recent days, there has been a lot of talk about the film directed by Marcel Barrera, El 47. And with the film, there has also been talk about the Torre Baró neighborhood in Barcelona.
Neighborhoods like the Torre Baró neighborhood depicted in the film existed in many towns, especially in the industrial areas of Barcelona, Tarragona, and even other provincial capitals in Spain.
The report that Josep Cortinas made in the 1950s of some streets and homes in the Salut and Sistrells neighborhoods shows people, environments, and a way of life very similar to the environment shown in the film El 47: unpaved streets, some with significant slopes, water fountains in the street, uralite roofs covered with asphalt fabric… In short, precarious architecture and deficient urban planning.
Thus, Josep Cortinas, a great observer who never left without his camera, knew how to capture life in Badalona and, now, years later, his images are very valuable documents for knowing and understanding our past.
