Barcelona
Barcelona is the capital and the most populous city of Catalonia, and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,621,537, climbing to 4,200,000 for the metropolitan area.
The main transport challenges facing Barcelona include protection of the historical city centre which does not lend well to motorised transport; a high proportion of powered two wheelers (motorcycles & mopeds) which may reduce demand for road space but cause pollution (especially noise); and high levels of commuter traffic between the city centre and suburban towns.
However, the city has embarked on a comprehensive sustainable urban mobility agenda, redesigning the city around more sustainable modes of travel, and its citizens! Indeed, the city's superblock concept has pioneered the way for others. The superblock is a model of mobility that restructures the typical urban road network. Superblocks have the potential to provide solutions to the main problems of urban mobility and to improve both the availability and quality of the public space for pedestrians and people sojourning in a space.

Image credit: Miquel Migg
The Spanish POLIS member also faces a significant commuter traffic challenge. With 1.6million residents within the city and Greater Barcelona home to 3.2million, managing traffic slows and shifting travellers to more sustainable modes is critical. Each day, 660.000 journeys via private vehicle are made within the city. However, while the city itself boasts a relatively high public transit and active travel modal split, the wider region is far more car dependent, with 52% of journeys into the city completed by car.
To tackle this, Barcelona, famed for its pioneering superblock concept, has embarked on a comprehensive package of measures to slash traffic. The city’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) has been key. An LEZ is a specific area with restricted access to the most polluting vehicles
You can find out more on their website, or follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn
Barcelona follows an "area verda” approach for integrated parking management, watch the video below:
Modal Split

NextETRUCK

Ride2Autonomy

eCharge4Drivers

Urban Transports Community

GrowSmarter
- Related News
- Related Events
- Related Documents

DISCO project kicks off for a new generation of urban logistics

A new EU-funded project tackling urban freight in action: GREEN-LOG!

Full steam ahead for POLIS’ Climate Neutral Cities Mission Taskforce!

Press release: Introducing URBANE, a new Horizon Europe project on last-mile deliveries

The 15-year City: Annual POLIS Conference talks ‘Audacity to Action’

Barcelona Port Authority wins the ESPO Award 2022!

Learn how to deploy your first autonomous vehicle with POLIS partner Pendel Mobility

Steps ahead! The future of Barcelona’s superblock

Commuter traffic planning and demand management: Regions Working Group convenes!

Discover all about the POLIS 2022 Closing Plenary!

Disability Pride Month: How cities can become proud champions of accessibility

Catalonia confronts sexual harassment in public transport

POLIS x Pride 2022: Mind the queer public transport gap

Ride2Autonomy partners meet in Barcelona to attend city’s pilot launch

EU Cities Mission selects 28 POLIS members among its cities

Save the date for the Urban Mobility Days 2022!

POLIS members among finalists for the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award!

POLIS’ Active Travel Working Group explores the 15-minute city concept

POLIS’ Political Group summit in Paris: Leadership rules!

POLIS brings together leading decision makers for political summit in Paris

Second POLIS-EPA webinar: Off-street parking management

Public Transport Lab addresses sexual harassment on Public Transport

POLIS Public Transport Lab redesigns the city

POLIS and ALICE continue their collaboration for sustainable urban freight

Lisbon, Barcelona, Milan and other cities discuss the future of urban parking

Barcelona issued 12,000 free annual public transport tickets to former car owners

Ride2Autonomy: New EU-Funded Project to Promote Automated Shuttles’ Integration into Public Transport

Let’s talk numbers – a closer look at the WeCount experience

Public transport in Barcelona generates 2.4 bn per year, study shows

Barcelona residents achieve lowering street speed limit building on self-generated data

April’s Working Group meetings: A spring in our step

New report provides snapshot of shared mobility industry in Europe

Research reveals harassment on Barcelona’s public transport

Get ready for the “one-minute” city

eCharge4Drivers opens survey on electric vehicle charging

eCharge4Drivers webinar explores the future of electric charging, with some interesting results!

Barcelona tackles traffic around school districts

Cross border bus network connects Catalonia and the Region of Occitania

Post-Lockdown Mobility webinar report: The post-lockdown strategies of Barcelona and Milan

Barcelona: now home to southern Europe’s largest low-emissions zone

Become a host organisation for the H2020 HiReach project

ASSURED workshop on the deployment of e-trucks in urban areas

SLoCaT: National Focal Points volunteers wanted in Europe
New ITF Report – Benchmarking Accessibility in Cities: Measuring the Impact of Proximity and Transport Performance
27 September, ASSURED Workshop – Utility and delivery e-trucks and e-vans
New issue of Thinking Cities released: “Finding balance in the thinking city”
Meet Polis and its members at the SUMP Conference in Groningen

Making transport more accessible and inclusive for all: new approaches and solutions, 18 June 2019 – Groningen (NL).

Upcoming Polis Working Group meetings in 2019
Future urban mobility, AVs and CO2 reduction to be discussed at Smart City Expo World Congress 2018

Join the Transport Day 2018 at the COP24 in Katowice, Poland
Smart City Expo World Congress, the leading event on smart cities and urban solutions
Barcelona wins Covenant Cities in the Spotlight awards!
Road safety for pedestrians and cyclists will be elaborated at several events in Barcelona
Five weeks left to apply for the European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards!
ELIPTIC policy recommendation brochure available now
NOVELOG SULP guidelines, roadmap and factsheets are available. Use them!
Cycling is the urban transport mode associated with the greatest health benefits
NOVELOG SULP Guidelines for urban freight planning
Draft programme of 2018 Polis Conference released
European cities can tackle the overweight and obesity epidemic by promoting cycling
Subscribe to the INCLUSION project newsletter!
Successful ELIPTIC Final Conference
Creating the Safe City. The May 2018 Issue of Thinking Cities is Out!
ELIPTIC process evaluation identifies drivers and barriers for project implementation
ELIPTIC, ASSURED & CleanMobilEnergy join forces for charging infrastructure workshop
European Cities Could Avoid up to 10,000 Premature Deaths by Expanding Cycling Networks
CIVITAS Urban Freight Conference – 23-24 April 2018, Brussels
NOVELOG project: workshops on micro-consolidation and other solutions for urban logistics
INCLUSION: a new H2020 project on accessible and inclusive public transport
Register Now! Smart goods distribution and logistics webinar from the GrowSmarter project
Electric freight in cities: ELIPTIC and FREVUE joined forces in Barcelona
3 events on urban logistics in October!
Joint FREVUE-ELIPTIC Workshop: 13 September in Barcelona
Save the date! International Cycling Conference 2017 and PASTA day on active travel & health, 19-21 September 2017, Mannheim, Germany
New issue of ‘Thinking Cities’ magazine released
International conference on transport and health is accepting abstracts for presentation

eCharge4Drivers EIG Workshop: Barcelona

UITP Global Public Transport Summit 2023

Ride2Autonomy Final Webinar

Ride2Autonomy Final Conference

Regions Working Group: Commuter traffic planning and demand management

Urban Mobility Days 2022

Best of Belron 2022

2nd CAMELOT International Event

Mobilising Mobility: Data-driven Urban Mobility Planning and Citizen Science – a match made in heaven
