Superblocks – or Superilles, in Catalan - are polygons of approximately 400m x 400m where pedestrians and cyclists have priority, and pass through traffic is not allowed. Access by car is only permitted to residents and urban services at a maximum speed of 10km/h, and to emergency services (Figure A G.1).
Transforming Catalonia’s Mobility System for Net Zero
Note: Scheme Road Hierarchy in the Superblock model.
Source: Extracted from (BCNecologia, 2021[45]).
The concept of Superblocks was developed by the Barcelona Urban Ecology Agency (BCNecologia) in 2000, based on the idea that public space plays an essential role in community life, people’s well-being, and in supporting the ecological transition. Rather than being monopolised by motorized vehicles, public space should cater multiple functions and integrate mobility networks, urban biodiversity, economic activities, infrastructure for waste and water management, and public service provision (BCNecologia, 2021[45]).
The BCNecologia Agency proposed the implementation of 503 Superblocks across the city, to cover the entire municipality of Barcelona. Salvador Rueda (2019[46]), the former Director of the Agency, at the origins of the Superblock idea – estimates the benefits of Superblocks by 2030, in the scenario in which they would all be implemented. These include: a car traffic reduction of 45% by 2030, a reduction of the percentage of the population exposed to air pollution levels above 40 micrograms/m³ from 44% to 4%, a reduction of the percentage of the population exposed to noise levels above 65 dBA from 46% to 24%, and 667 less premature deaths annually thanks to increased physical activity and access to green spaces (Rueda, 2019[46]; Mueller et al., 2020[47]). Superblocks were also associated with low implementation costs. Rueda (2019[46]) estimated that the implementation of the planned 503 Superblocks, covering the entire municipality, would cost 2% of the city’s annual budget over four years.
The first Superblock was implemented in the 1990s in the Ciutat Vella neighbourhood (Barcelona) and in the Vila de Gràcia neighbourhood (Barcelona) in 2005. These pilots already inspired other cities in Spain, for example, Vitoria-Gasteiz; and globally, for example, the city of Lyon (France). Between 2004 and 2020, Barcelona duplicated the surface of streets with pedestrian priority, growing from 62 hectares to 133 hectares (Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2020[48]). With the Green Axis project in 2023 transforming an additional 12 hectares, the city now has 145 hectares of pedestrian-priority streets, representing 7.6% of the total street surface in the city (Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2021[49]).
Despite its expected benefits, the implementation and expansion of Superblocks has been challenging. See Box 5.8 in Chapter 5 for further information.