Barcelona’s superblocks are a model of healthier, safer and more sustainable living. Launched in 2016, superblocks are neighborhoods of nine blocks, where traffic is only allowed around the perimeter and priority is given to pedestrian areas, cycling lanes, and residential green spaces.
Now, Barcelona has announced a 10-year plan to expand its superblocks to the city’s heavily polluted central Eixample district, a grid-street area designed by 19th century engineer Ildefons Cerdà and widely regarded as a blueprint for modern urban living.
Under the new plan, one in three streets in Eixample will become a green zone, offering every resident a square and a green street within 200 meters of their home. The plan calls for 21 new green streets, which will add 6.6 hectares of greenery and biodiversity, and 21 new squares at junctions between streets, creating some 3.9 hectares of recreational space for residents.
“The Cerdà plan modernized Barcelona at the end of the 19th century and we are reviving that spirit of urban transformation to bring the Eixample into the 21st century,” Deputy Mayor Janet Sanz said.
The winning designs for the streets and squares will be decided in two open competitions. According to an article in The Guardian, the closing date for entries is December 17. Work on the new superblocks will get underway in 2022 and is expected to cost 36 million euros.
