Barcelona is well known as one of the world’s most liveable cities, but it hasn’t become one by accident. Lilybell Evergreen, from NetZeroCities’ partner Demos Helsinki, recently spent a week there through the EU Cities Mission project REALLOCATE and reflects here on the potential lessons on local climate action.
It is rare to get the chance to spend so long soaking up a city and listening to the people who are trying to push for change within it.
And certainly, in recent years, Barcelona has visibly and palpably changed. From a visit ten years ago, I remembered a city full of life but one that was also incredibly busy, loud, and difficult to travel across.
But this time, I see that the city understands that speed of transit is not the only – or even main – goal; the transformation of key mobility infrastructure has been evident, making moving around not only easier but also more pleasant. There were more spaces for pedestrians and cyclists, more areas supporting biodiversity, and more plans still in progress to continue transforming public spaces. Each of these are highly worthwhile changes so seeing it all in parallel made a strong impression.
On a visit for REALLOCATE, a project within the EU Cities Mission which supports Barcelona and nine other cities to experiment towards safe, sustainable, and inclusive urban mobility solutions, I was grateful to spend a week there, hearing the stories of change, feeling the motivation of the public servants, and also reflecting more deeply on what it takes to make change happen.
As our hosts, Barcelona opened up about their ambitions – realised and still in progress – and guided us on a walking tour to see and feel what it really looks like to create a more livable city.
A real highlight was an in-depth visit to the first Superblock in Poblenou, led by Barcelona City Council’s Urban Strategy Department. Not only was it inspiring to see the renowned design highlighted for its sustainability, livability, and accessibility, it was also thought-provoking to hear how its development unfolded.
One early challenge was low levels of approval in the neighbourhood. But instead of retracting their plans, they persevered – in part due to the strong support of the then deputy mayor – and worked with residents to understand and address their concerns. Now, they are desirable and broadly celebrated as good places to live, and the Superblock model has been expanded in other areas of Barcelona. If you are interested, you can see more on this here. A notable realisation was also that although the Superblocks are celebrated and renowned in urban transformation and built environment circles, for many they are simply the invisible approach underneath the visible quality of life improvements.
Although expansion of the programme is now paused, this work has sparked inspiration in other cities, such as in the Mission Cities of Lyon and potentially Budapest.
If I was to capture some of my main reflections from this experience, for me this example really highlighted:
- The importance of getting time and space to absorb a city and hear stories of its journey towards climate neutrality and increased livability.
- The essential role of leadership in showing direction and support when overcoming obstacles.
- The connections to be found between Cities Mission projects.
- The need to persevere with radical changes and also make them as collective as possible.
The journey for change isn’t linear and all cities both share lessons and learn from each other. What was inspiring was witnessing a bold vision translated into and supported by the everyday willingness to experiment, learn, and continue to improve. To me, Barcelona shows one example of what is possible.
