Early in the morning, a girl takes her dog out for its morning pee and, indeed, the animal lifts its leg and leaves its present dribbling around the corner and sliding down the paving stone. The girl looks at me with a sort of "So what?", and between her being sleepy and me being in a hurry, the autopilot decides it's too early to start the day with a lecture titled "Since last February, municipal ordinances have established that not diluting dog urine with water is punishable by a fine of up to 300 euros". The sequence ends well, because after a moment another pet owner, who has followed the scene from a distance, rinses the wall and the pavement with the water he was carrying in a small container.

"Shame on you. Respect the neighbors' peace and quiet."Shame on you. Don't pee in the streetWalking along Carrer del Comércio in Barcelona's El Born district, you can see two large banners with these messages. One is in Catalan for locals, the other in English for tourists. The objective, however, is the same: to discourage antisocial behavior in public spaces, as the city council explains in a statement. The municipal body believes that "Little Shame" is a campaign with a "forceful and educational" tone, which will seek to highlight everyday instances of antisocial behavior such as drinking in public and littering. The campaign includes seven 10-second spots and a wide range of formats in the street, print media, television, digital media, and social networks. The messages will also be visible in the metro, on street furniture, and in iconic locations such as the MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona) and the Agbar Tower.

On Wednesday, I saw a man nearly killed on the street. It was in Plaça dels Àngels, the home of the MACBA (Basque Country Music Association), in Barcelona's Raval district. A skateboarder, a fully-fledged adult, who had been balancing over the wall of the stairs (the final section of the wall is about 6 feet high), performed an acrobatic jump on the sidewalk a second after a pedestrian had crossed. If he touched his head or knocked it to the ground, he doesn't explain it. It's pointless to explain that when I expressed my outrage, he got off me like a madman and went off to try another jump.

Scattered and poorly sorted brush, papers and bottles left in the streets, shouting and music at night, dog droppings in parks and sidewalks, and even barbecues in public spaces and viral challenges to defecate in municipal swimming pools. These are some of the most frequent acts of behavior classified as uncivil by municipal ordinances and which carry fines that can exceed hundreds of euros.

Barcelona is reopening to the world after the pandemic and the City Council fears that the image it will project may be tainted by vandalism. According to deputy mayor for Prevention and Security, Albert Batlle, graffiti has long been "degrading" the streets and heritage of Barcelona, and the graffiti on the Basilica del Pi and several shops in recent months –such as the modernist shop window of Queviures Múrria– are proof of this. Residents, businessmen and all of the opposition have asked the City Council for stronger measures in the fight against this kind of vandalism and this Monday the City Council presented a package of measures that aims to promote "habits of urban cleanliness" and improve the coexistence between neighbours and visitors. The plan includes an increased budget for cleaning graffiti on buildings of high historical value, an urgent and free cleaning service for businesses attacked and an intensified police presence in hot spots. "We do not want the city's image to be harmed on walls, shutters, monuments and heritage," Batlle insisted.