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The big highlights of the project are two cycling highways, one leading to Lower Austria in the south and another leading to Donaustadt
Sântana has only 11,000 residents, yet several municipal buildings will get connected to a renewable geothermal reservoir deep underground
With a decline in passengers due to Covid-19 and the energy crisis, among other factors, the city will focus on increasing the quality of service
The idea dates back even to Antiquity, but how feasible is it?
The cultural and victim remembrance facility will be located in Rome
Many municipalities instituted privileges for EVs to promote sustainable mobility. Now, a lot more people are driving electric, so maybe it’s time to normalise legislation
The city wants new approaches to developing the urban environment and is willing to fund the best solutions
Around 75% of German CO2 emissions come from the private sector, yet less than 1% of businesses are considered fully sustainable
The city has a strategy of putting 10,000 human-controlled and autonomous shuttles on the streets by 2030
Last week, the Chinese app was banned for Belgian federal employees for an initial period of six months
Sântana has only 11,000 residents, yet several municipal buildings will get connected to a renewable geothermal reservoir deep underground
Some of the most productive solar installations in the city are on listed buildings, such as Red City Hall
With a decline in passengers due to Covid-19 and the energy crisis, among other factors, the city will focus on increasing the quality of service
The big highlights of the project are two cycling highways, one leading to Lower Austria in the south and another leading to Donaustadt
It will open its doors in 2024 and offer cremations and burials
The building will be on the site of Plato’s Ancient Academy
The city has arranged four tailor-made programmes for the different residences as a way to reconnect with patients’ life and memories
The city has supported 65 initiatives in 9 districts away from its centre as a way to draw crowds to more unique experiences
The city has developed its own way to teach young people how to react when they witness unjust treatments
The city will supply and maintain 138 dispensers in public buildings
The city has arranged four tailor-made programmes for the different residences as a way to reconnect with patients’ life and memories
Find out which European region has the highest longevity, and which one the lowest
Green oases will spring up in Barcelona's L’Eixample district, Source: Ada Colau via Gergely Karácsony
Following the green transformation of several neighbourhoods, the Superilla Barcelona scheme will move on to L’Eixample district, with work starting in June 2022
Say Barcelona and conjure a sprawling, sun-bathed city with endless beaches, Modernista architecture punctuated by Gaudi landmarks and mouth-watering cuisine. An almost perfect picture, had it not been for one thing - the unrelentingly heavy car traffic and the ensuing noise and pollution. The majority of Barcelona inner city areas regularly exceed WHO nitrogen dioxide limits of 40 micrograms per cubic metre, with fine particulate matter also above the norm.
According to 2020 data, Barcelona had 6,000 private cars per square km, the highest number among EU cities. And while cars proliferate, pedestrian and community public spaces dwindle at a fast rate. How is Barcelona coping with this problem?
In 2000, the new city leadership headed by pro-independence mayor Ada Colau launched a 10-year plan to create green zones in the heavily polluted central L’Eixample district and other areas. These peaceful oases in a bustling city do not ban, but discourage car use, giving priority to walkers and cyclists.
The scheme, conceived back in 2016 and now radically extended, was dubbed Superilla or Superblock, evoking the grid of straight avenues and octagonal blocks created by urban planner Ildefons Cerdà who shaped L’Eixample’s modern outlook in the early 20th century.
Addressing the environmental concerns of the 21st century, the plan puts several city blocks in a cluster, closing them off to through-traffic with the help of low-cost interventions: potted plants, picnic tables, and benches installed at spaces used for parking. The green zones come also equipped with children’s playgrounds and fountains, as well as cycling lanes cutting through.
Despite the opposition of car lobbies, the Superblocks plan received widespread public support. And following the creation of green zones in a number of neighbourhoods such as Sant Antoni, Poblenou and Horta, the municipal government announced last week that it was moving on to L’Eixample, the district with the most pollution and fewest public spaces.
Works are set to begin in June 2022. The initial projects, including the creation of four large and 31 smaller squares, as well as four green streets, are worth EUR 52.3 million.
Starting with the four streets - Rocafort, Comte Borrell, Girona and Consell de Cent - a new street model will be implemented in all transformational projects across Barcelona. The concept envisages fostering everyday life in public spaces, stimulating sustainable mobility and local commerce, while simultaneously reducing car noise and pollution.
Here is what the new street model entails:
The four streets and squares are just the first stage in the major facelift to L’Eixample which will see 21 green streets and 21 large squares created by 2030.
The Superblock scheme (to borrow the words of Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony) is Barcelona’s latest international export product, which many other cities are already trying to emulate. Karácsony was captivated by the model’s efficiency during a recent visit to Barcelona in the framework of the Pact of Free Cities. Consequently, he announced on his Facebook page that for the first time this year, the Municipality of Budapest will issue a call for tenders, inviting non-governmental organizations to come up with ideas for the creation of green zones in the Hungarian capital.
Discover the planned transformation in our Gallery above.
While the new health policy will fund the morning-after pill and various progesterone treatments, it will not cover condoms
With a decline in passengers due to Covid-19 and the energy crisis, among other factors, the city will focus on increasing the quality of service
The big highlights of the project are two cycling highways, one leading to Lower Austria in the south and another leading to Donaustadt
City officials found that simple messages about respecting residents’ sleep were most effective if coupled with the right presentation
The city has a strategy of putting 10,000 human-controlled and autonomous shuttles on the streets by 2030
Last week, the Chinese app was banned for Belgian federal employees for an initial period of six months
The city has learned a lot from an ongoing project for a solar roof on the Altonaer Museum
With a decline in passengers due to Covid-19 and the energy crisis, among other factors, the city will focus on increasing the quality of service
The big highlights of the project are two cycling highways, one leading to Lower Austria in the south and another leading to Donaustadt
The city has learned a lot from an ongoing project for a solar roof on the Altonaer Museum
While the new health policy will fund the morning-after pill and various progesterone treatments, it will not cover condoms
City officials found that simple messages about respecting residents’ sleep were most effective if coupled with the right presentation
The new itineraries are part of the DiscoverEU programme, which lets 18-year-olds travel by train between important European sites
The European Commission has published its first progress report charting the achievements of the socio-cultural movement that combines beauty, inclusion and sustainability
The 2023 edition of the creative initiative promises to be bigger, bolder and more inclusive
A talk with the head of Mission Zero Academy on the benefits for municipalities if they go the zero waste way
A talk with Nicolae Urs, one of the key figures behind the city's new data platforms and online services strategy
Veni Markovski’s take on dealing with disinformation in the European Union's poorest country – Bulgaria
