Barcelona Tackles its Traffic, Pollution With Parking Policies and Superblocks

Barcelona has a serious pollution problem. While the city only exceeds the limits imposed by European regulations a few days per year, on any given day 44 percent of the population is exposed to NO2 levels that exceed the European rules. It has been estimated that the high pollution in Barcelona causes about 3,500 premature deaths each year.

While pollution was not a high priority for the city’s previous administration, former mayor Xavier Trias, with the support of most of the political groups in the city council, approved the new Urban Mobility Plan, which gives the new government the tools to tackle traffic, pollution, and reclaim road space for pedestrian use.

According to Vidal, the basis of the Mobility Plan is the Superilles (Catalan for Superblocks). After nearly 30 years of planning and many political hurdles, the superblocks are finally starting to be deployed in Barcelona, with the first one opened in the Poble Nou district in September. Over the next three years, Vidal says, the plan is to open around 10 new superblocks in different areas of the city. “We are going to increase space for pedestrians with superblocks and other pacifying strategies,” she said.