The park covers a wide range of both flora and fauna, and even rare species live here. The park is viewed as an important spot for preservation and research of nature as of its rich and diverse wildlife. However, the ecosystem suffers from infrastructural interferences, as roads and housing areas established before the protection came into force, are scattered throughout the park. This makes clear boundaries to cross, both for hikers and animals.
Parc de Collserola is much used for sporting and leisure by the inhabitants of Barcelona. Many restaurants are located in the mountains, and there are barbecue spots and play grounds for week end- and holiday activities. The park is much used for off road bicycling, and it is intended that it will be connected with a bicycle track that will circle the whole city. This, in combination with the beach line, sets Barcelona in an extraordinary position as a metropolis in terms of direct access to recreation areas.
The highest spot of the park is Tibidabo, raging 512 meters above sea level. On the highest spot there’s a catholic church topped with a statue of the Sacred Heart. This can be viewed from all over the city and holds the status of an important landmark, and the site on the other hand holds a spectacular view over the city. Another important landmark is the Torre de Collserola on the Vilana hill next to Tibidabo, the tele communication tower from the 1992 Olympics by Sir Norman Foster. By the foot of the church an old amusement park from the turn of the 20th century is situated, considered to be of great historical value by the city council as they subsidize the operation.
In Oslo there’s much of the same situation as in Barcelona, with Oslomarka (also just called “Marka”, meaning woodland), which is the hills and forest surrounding the city. The woodland takes up an area of 301.1 km² within the city borders (3,5 times the size of Collserola), but also stretches until a wide range of other municipalities. Marka is the administrative name for the parts that lie within the city limits, and development is strictly prohibited within this area. In addition to being an important law of preventing the land and wildlife, this is also an important tool of urban city development. The border limits makes it impossible for the city to grow beyond, and therefore works as a condensation tool.
To use nature for leisure activities is something that lies deep within the Norwegian culture spirit. To generalize, most Norwegians are grown up with hiking or skiing in the nature as a weekly routine. It is said that Norwegians aren’t that good at building cities, but are experts on enjoying the nature, and that is what Norwegians do for leisure. Over 60 percent of Norwegians has one or several cottages either in the mountains or by the sea, where often weekends and holidays are spent. The ideal cottage is set to be in the middle of nowhere, where you’re all alone, and can go hiking in the nature. The cottage owned by my family is situated by the sea, but still in the middle of nowhere where no one else can be seen, and most Sundays of my life are spent with skis on in the mountains.
