BarcelonaBarcelona City Council presented its plan this Friday to "democratize" green spaces in all of the city's neighborhoods by creating 25 new green areas on previously unused land. These new zones, presented by Mayor Jaume Collboni, are part of the first package of actions under the Proximity and Interior Spaces Program—framed within the Climate Plan—an urban planning initiative that the municipal government launched in 2024 to reclaim approximately 20 hectares of green space. "These are abandoned spaces that are designated as green but hadn't been transformed, and now we're activating them so that everyone can find them close to home," explained Collboni. The mayor referred to spaces that were "disused, forgotten, and not even perceived as spaces," and which the city now wants to repurpose. "Having these spaces close to home means having climate refuges and a higher quality of life in our neighborhoods," he emphasized.
In this regard, the program includes improvements to neighborhood spaces and interior courtyards, as well as the creation of shade structures, dividing walls, and roofs. However, no new interior courtyard spaces have yet been specified, and it has been reported that updates on these projects will be presented in about two months. Collboni explained that the fact that these spaces were discontinued in the past has made it more difficult to develop them again. "Work on courtyard spaces should never have stopped," he said, and assured that efforts are now underway.
More than 20 hectares before the end of 2027
The twenty-five new areas slated for transformation, at the request of local residents, were identified as necessary based on a series of functional criteria, as well as sustainability and comfort, to allow for the addition of shade and seating areas. "The aim is to give identity to places that previously lacked it," Collboni emphasized. Some of the sites to be transformed include the intersection of Burgos and Sagunt streets—where work has already begun by demolishing a building and reintroducing greenery—and Oriol Martorell Park, on the upper slab of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC) station (Sarrià), one of the largest areas being addressed, exceeding 2 square meters. Also included is the vacant lot on Castilla Street in Sant Martí, as well as several gardens throughout the Eixample district. Like these twenty new areas now planned for transformation, four similar spaces have already been restored in recent years. Furthermore, another fifteen spaces will be added, as work is underway to have a second package ready before the end of the current term in 2027. "[These] are in the project drafting phase," Collboni explained. All of this will add the equivalent of 44 new spaces spread across 20 hectares of local urban green space in the neighborhoods, a plan that will involve an investment of 87 million euros.
A platform with 30 entities is created to defend green spaces in the city
Meanwhile, 30 organizations and groups interested in protecting Barcelona's urban green spaces presented the Coordinator for the Defense of Barcelona's Green Heritage (CDPV) on Friday as a form of criticism against the City Council for its inaction in protecting the city's green areas to date. In a manifesto, they described the situation as "unsustainable" given the City Council's policies regarding urban gardens, parks, and gardens, and accused it of promoting measures that destroy green spaces.
In this regard, the activists criticized the city council for "trying to portray Barcelona's urbanization and paving as more ecological and sustainable," and emphasized the importance of maintaining and protecting green spaces in the city because they are "closest to the citizens and can provide them with the most services, as well as better health." Spokesperson Jordi Bigues pointed out that one of the main objectives of the coordinating group is for citizens to have "a more active role."