Mobility Infrastructures in Cities and Climate Change: An Analysis Through the Superblocks in Barcelona

Abstract

Cities are key actors in the fight against climate change since they are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while at the same time they experience the negative impact of this phenomenon. Mitigating and adapting to climate change requires fundamental changes in urbanism and city automobile traffic. Superblocks, a grid of blocks and basic roads forming a polygon, approximately 400 by 400 m, are one of the instruments for such changes. These type of city Superblocks represent a new model of mobility that restructures the typical urban road network, thereby substantially reducing automobile traffic, and accordingly GHG emissions, while increasing green space in the city and improving the health and quality of life of its inhabitants. Furthermore, the Superblocks do not require investment in hard infrastructures, nor do they involve demolishing buildings or undertaking massive development; they are in fact very low-tech urbanism. The city of Barcelona has been implementing Superblocks as one of the measures to combat climate change with very positive results. The paper analyzes the concept of the Superblock and its relation with climate change in cities. Along these lines, it analyzes the pioneer experience of Barcelona in the development and implementation of the Superblocks, as a radical plan aimed at taking back the streets from cars. The role of political power and institutional leadership has been key in societal acceptance and the achievement of tangible results. But there are also obstacles and drawbacks in the development of these types of Superblocks, such as the necessity to redesign the collective transport network so that car traffic can truly be reduced in cities, the possible negative influence on traffic going in and out of the city, the lack of visible advantages if they are not implemented in the entire city, the risk of gentrification in the areas with Superblocks, public opposition, and opposition from certain sectors of the business community.

New urban models for more sustainable, liveable and healthier cities post covid19; reducing air pollution, noise and heat island effects and increasing green space and physical activity

“…1 , Rueda, 2019 ) Particularly in warmer climates, the greening of the area can considerably reduce temperatures and thereby reduce premature mortality. Initially, implementation of a Superblock in the Poblenou neighbourhood of Barcelona was met with considerable resistance from the local population, and there were some concerns regarding gentrification and governance ( López et al, 2020 , Zografos et al, 2020 ) but later developments like the neighbourhoods of Sant Antoni and Horta are better received after improved consultation with the local population. A further expansion plan is currently under evaluation and 21 Superblocks, or Axis as they are now referred to now, are implemented ( Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2021 ).…”

“…As is often seen, there is no magic bullet for the challenges and the new urban models are just one aspect of policies that address challenges, and of different policies and measures that are needed ( Lin et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, issues of equity and gender should be addressed as there has been some concern about this when introducing new models like the Barcelona Superblocks ( López et al, 2020 , Zografos et al, 2020 ), and policy measures could be put in place to eliminate or mitigate the impacts ( Oscilowicz et al, 2021 ). Spreading resources and changes throughout the city rather than focusing only on one or a few neighbourhoods may also avoid some unintended consequences.…”

Spatial enclosure assessment toward more livable urban communities in Aswan city

“…Superblock's implementation does not require investment in complex infrastructures, massive redevelopment, or tearing down buildings [24]. It only requires a functional change using the existing structure block, which will lead to a complete modification in city mobility, reduction of carbon emissions, urban traffic, and increased city livability [25], as shown in Figure 4. A city transforms into a public space, considering it is the "house of everybody," a meeting place for interchange, leisure, culture, staying, expression, democracy, and movement [22].…”

“…FIGURE 6:showing improvement in different aspects such as, Space for pedestrians, Accessibility, Air quality, Acoustic comfort, Livability Index in public space. Adopted from[25].…”

Teilhabe und Öffentliche Mobilität: Die Rolle der Politik

“…Das Modell des Superblocks zu übertragen ist mit der Erwartung verbunden, dass mit der Nutzung des nun wirklich öffentlich zur Verfügung stehenden Raums mehr soziale Interaktion stattfindet und damit neue Ideen des Zusammenlebens entstehen. Aus den Erfahrungen aus Barcelona lassen sich schon positive Schlussfolgerungen ziehen (López et al 2020). Die Superblocks in Barcelona wurden von den Anwohner*innen selbst in einem partizipativen Prozess mit der Stadtverwaltung gestaltet, um die Probleme oder Herausforderungen gemeinsam zu definieren und gemeinsam Lösungen zu finden.…”