Collboni is testing a new model of "flexible" green axes in the 22@ neighborhood.

BarcelonaOne of the mantras of Jaume Collboni's municipal government since the beginning of his term is that there is no single model for these green spaces. Designs like those of Consell de Cent are compatible with other types of calming systems. Now the Socialist government will test its model for these "flexible" green spaces on ten streets in the 22@ district. This Friday, the City Council plenary session approved the Special Urban Development and Urban Improvement Plan that should make them possible.

The project is a consequence of the modification to the General Metropolitan Plan (PGM) that was made in 2022 due to the need to expand housing in the area. In return, it was also essential to create more green spaces to comply with urban planning standards. A requirement that the City Council is assuming with the redevelopment of ten streets, among which Badajoz Street stands out, which will be transformed into a bicycle and public area that will also involve the calming of five intersections. It will also involve work on Pere IV and Cristóbal de Moura streets and throughout the Can Ricart area.

But what exactly do these flexible green axes consist of? The First Deputy Mayor, Laia Bonet, explained that the special urban plan combines pre-established areas—where there are already approved or implemented development projects—with others that have "flexibility." That is, development projects will be able to choose between different options from a catalog that provides, for example, choosing in each case where vehicle access will be located: whether on one corner, on the other, or along the street axis.

Space for vehicles

Bonet asserted that the plan offers a catalog of solutions that allow traffic calming measures to be implemented without hindering public transport. "We wanted the option of green lights allowing direct access without requiring a turn, which would make it impossible for buses to pass on all the streets where the 22@ green axes are implemented," he argued.

The catalog offers different variants, both in terms of the green axes sections, the ends of each section that come into contact with uncalmed roads, and the small squares at intersections between green axes. In the latter case, there are also some models that allow vehicles to pass through the center of the square. One prototype is planned for intersections between green axes and the civic path on Ávila Street and, as Bonet explained, is intended to allow buses to pass.

The measure was approved with votes in favor from the PSC, ERC, Junts, and the PP, with an abstention from BComú, and a vote against from Vox. Bonet expressed surprise at Barcelona en Comú's decision. The Comunes councilor, Gemma Tarafa, argued that allowing linear traffic along the entire green axis without establishing mandatory turns—as is the case in Consell de Cent—"does not guarantee safe streets."