The solution helps Barcelona become the world's most quality transport city

A method of urban improvement and closer social relations that have been crawling in four walls for decades.

Modern cities are packed with cars. The streets of the present and the near future are all designed to serve them; therefore, bicyclists or motorcyclists are cornered into smaller lanes, pedestrians and roadside shops are being pushed to narrow streets. This fact exists in so many cities in the world that we are considering it as a part of urban life.

Modern cities are packed with cars.

Many people still uphold the old idea that the city is for residents, and that urban gaps are to build settlements (or at least apartment buildings) rather than build roads for people to live on. in the city easy to walk.

But once the streets have been built like that, what should be done to get the ground and build a house now? How do people in the city have accommodation? Barcelona city has found a very clever solution for that difficult question.

That is Superblock - Combined super masses

Anyone who has ever visited this poetic city is impressed with the pleasant experience of walking on the street: Barcelona has the most easily accessible streets in the world, with markets, venues and cafes. Road - a lively world right on the sidewalks, streets.

Superlock superblock block.

But that beautiful aspect of the street was also soon affected by the traffic and the amount of dust released from them, the encroachment of these four-wheel vehicles has been around for decades. And so, in 2014, the city government developed the Inner City Circulation Plan , which was designed to bring the city to its own people (and to solve the pollution problem too).

In the United States, people do not even think of cities as belonging to the people. They even considered the moving bicycle lane as "a four-wheel vehicle battle" , right in the most modern cities. But in Barcelona, ​​people here have a bike lane of 300km long, the entire bus system has been improved, green campuses sprouting everywhere .

Planners need only take 9 blocks to create a superblock.

And among them, the best idea is the "superblock - a super mass is a combination of many buildings" (called "superilles" in Catalan) , a concept developed by Salvador Rueda, director of the City Ecological Agency.

The idea is simple: Planners just need to take 9 blocks to create a superblock (or not necessarily have to be 9, but 9 will be the most ideal). Instead of having the entire vehicle circulated on the roads in the superblock, large vehicles such as cars, trucks or buses will have to travel on the outer edge of the superblock to reach other areas.

Large vehicles such as cars, trucks or buses will have to travel on the outer edge of the superblock to reach other areas.

The roads within that area only allow superblock residents to move at low speeds, below 16km / h. Navigating the streets into loops of one-way streets, there will be no roads that cut main roads.

Orient the city streets into loops of one-way streets.

Road space inside the superblock will be divided equally for vehicles in the city.

By this method, you will create a small village of 9 blocks, the road space inside the superblock will be divided equally among the vehicles in the city.

This plan will be divided into 2 parts to implement

At the first stage (currently piloted in some places), the speed of moving vehicles on the road is limited to less than 20 km / h. This first phase can be easily applied with low cost, mainly traffic management will be based on existing traffic light signals. Mr Rueda estimates that the city of Barcelona will only pay $ 22 million for this first phase.

The second phase will push the ambition to improve the city to a new level. It will change urban life and how people here use public gaps. The city will completely eliminate parking near the sidewalk (by building garages for underground cars), the maximum speed of vehicles in the city will be only 6km / h, allowing people to have You can use the street for outdoor activities and organize entertainment venues, such as fairs or watching outdoor movies.

The idea of ​​superblock is to turn neighborhoods into separate residential communities.

This city renovation plan will take the streets of modern cities, occupied streets as "private playgrounds" for cars and motorcycles into the walking streets of the old days. If the superblock is applied completely in every city, Mr. Rueda estimates that 60% of the existing road space reserved for cars will turn into roads for all vehicles or even no more cars passing by.

The Barcelona government lists six ambitious goals with these superblock

• The streets will be more flexible and easy to adapt to.
• Regenerating public space.
• Encouraging biodiversity and growing green space in urban areas.
• Encourage social exchange to connect society.
• Encourage self-service of your own needs with available resources (a combination of neighborhoods and service areas).
• Become a composite block of processes managing the levels.

The idea of ​​superblocks is to turn neighborhoods into separate residential communities, neighborhoods with the same governing body and common resources (agricultural products, public services, specialties). cultural, .). A network of cohabiting residents can operate separately but still under government control.

In Barcelona, ​​there were a few neighborhoods that were turned into superblocks for testing. In the future, this project will also be applied in many areas.

In Barcelona, ​​there were a few neighborhoods that were turned into superblocks for testing.

Some other Spanish cities have also begun to set up superblockes but Rueda's vision does not stop there. According to him, this form can be applied to any city in any country. It is much cheaper than building infrastructure.

Superblock will be implemented very conveniently and quickly when the neighborhoods are clearly divided, but nothing prevents superblock being applied to other neighborhoods. Authorities and urban planning experts will find a way to bring the superblock model into winding streets, close-up neighborhoods. An original idea can be developed into more suitable versions.

Imagine that in the city where we live, the vehicles will have to follow a set of roads that are already outlined and in the new openings on the street, people can organize small festivals. , growing markets, children can play on the street without fear, outdoor activities will take place more often and in the chair of a roadside cafe, you are enjoying A glass of hot drinks and enjoy the wonderful spectacle of social relationships are increasingly tight.

Isn't that great?