page_title: Urban beach
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Urban beach / History
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Trieste - Barcola - Il lungomare. Dicembre 2007
context_page_description: An urban beach is an artificially-created environment in an urban setting which simulates a public beachfront, through the use of sand, beach umbrellas, and seating elements. Urban beaches are designed to surprise and delight city residents, workers, and visitors by inserting a beach atmosphere into an urban area that would otherwise be typical cityscape.
  There are many variations of urban beaches. Urban beaches are often found along waterways, though some are inserted into town squares or other spaces far from water. The beach may be a seasonal installation over a roadway or parking lot, or it may be permanent. It is not necessarily public land though it is always open to the general public. As river or ocean swimming is not possible, many urban beaches include water features -- for example fountains, wading pools or misting towers -- for cooling off. Some urban beaches feature entertainment, or food and beverage areas. A few include sports facilities such as beach volleyball.
  Most urban beaches are designed to appeal to a general population, from families to young singles to older citizens.
context_section_description: Natural urban beaches located at the sea have attracted tourists for a long time, such as the Copacabana of Rio, the central beach of San Sebastián or the City Beach in Stralsund. However, many of the urban beaches are used especially by the locals for relaxation. A good example of this is the beach of Barcola, which used to be connected to the center of Trieste by tram and now by bus. People of all ages take the opportunity to spend their free time or lunch breaks away from the heat of the city on the cool sea breeze.
  Although many cities had experimented with temporary sand installations for various festivals and artistic projects, the modern urban beach concept as a summertime public amenity in the middle of the city was popularized by the Paris-Plages, a program of seasonal urban beach installations along the Seine that started in 2002 and has been enormously successful.  While some European urban beaches claim to predate Paris, all built since have been strongly influenced by its design elements and programming.
caption: Urban beach for locals in Barcola (Trieste)
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