The Problem
Algeciras is divided. The railway station and the main highway, two pieces of infrastructure that define the city’s strategic position on the Strait of Gibraltar, have also fragmented it. North from south. East from west. The city is physically present in these spaces but socially absent from them.
The project asks a simple question: what happens when infrastructure becomes an invitation rather than a barrier?
The Proposal
Over + Under proposes a system of new urban fabric that stitches the city across its fractures. The strategy works at two levels simultaneously: crossing the railway overhead (over) and threading public space beneath (under).
The program includes: a cultural center, student housing, and a sports center with playgrounds, each contributing to the city’s social fabric and placed at the points where the new crossings generate the most urban energy.
A ground-floor promenade crosses the railways at two key nodes. Each node functions as a service point and attractor, designed to reactivate the neighbourhoods on either side of the barrier.
The Process
The project began by mapping the existing open spaces, classifying them by function, usage, condition, and accessibility. From this analysis, a sequential and interconnected system of open spaces was proposed: designed to accommodate mixed-use functions and diverse activities, building coherence out of fragmentation.
Group project (team of 3). Supervisor: Prof. Laura Montodoro, Politecnico di Milano.
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