Manycars are no longer welcome in downtown Barcelona.In September, the city created a new"superblock:" a car-free area designed to maximizepublic space. The superblock covers40 acres of Barcelona's El Poblenou neighborhood, and was the first step in a bigger plan to install at least six superblocks across Barcelona by 2018. Each willcombine 12 city blocks into a pedestrian-friendly mini grid, with drivers forced to goaround the outside.But according to CityLab, not everyone is thrilled about the plan.On January 15, some residents in El Poblenou took tothe streets to protest the new superblock. Although two other superblocks were actually installed in the area in 2005, the latestonehas spurred opposition since residents argue it makes getting to the city center more difficult. Other locals have complainedthey were not given enough warning before the superblockwas put in place, and local businesses in the area worrythat it could interfere with their work, since they will only be able to load and unload goods at specific times.The only cars currently allowed to enter Barcelona's superblocks are those belonging tolocal residents(who are requiredtodrive at slow speeds). All other cars are restricted to the black lines in the plan's diagram below.But the opposition doesn't worry the projects director, Salvador Rueda, who says the superblocks will just take some time to get used to."There will always be the resistance to change, and when you touch the cars, people get very sensitive," he tells Business Insider. Superblocks aren't a newconcept in Barcelonathe first one was createdin 1993 near a historic church in the Grcia neighborhood of thecity center.In mid-January, Rueda's team released a reportabout theGrcia superblock that foundwalking increased by 10% and cycling by 30% between 2007 and2016. At the same time, driving decreased by 26% overall, and by 40% onthe internal streets, which are marked in green above."We seem to forget that there are more pedestrians than drivers most of the time," Rueda says. "Now in Grcia, with children playing in the streets, nobody wants to go back to the previous situation."Based on the report'sfindings, Rueda'sproject to expand the superblock modelreceived$10 million in funding fromBarcelona's government in 2016. The initiativeis intended tohelp reduce the air pollution that currently plagues the city by limiting car traffic, Ruedasays.In recent years, Barcelona has surpassed the pollution limits setby Spain's government.According toa study from Barcelona'slocal Environmental Epidemiology Agency, about 1,200 deaths a year (from asthma attacks, bronchitis, and heart issues) could be prevented in Barcelona by adhering to the recommended levels.Ruedaestimates that the new superblocks couldlower pollution levels nearly three-fold, since theplan makespedestrians and cyclists thepriority. If successful, itwouldmeancars couldbe exiledfrom up to 120intersections and60% of Barcelonas roads (including the four superblocks that already exist).To create the first new superblock (the contested one in El Poblenou), architecture professors and students worked with associations of local residents and businesses to designalternative uses for the (mostly) car-free street space. One intersection was turned into a playground with a soccer field and sandbox, using tires and recycled materials. To help people travel without cars, the city-wide superblock planalso calls for124 more miles of bike lanes by 2018.Though the superblocks will take some getting used to, Rueda noted thattheyrequire minimal changes to the city's streets. Mostinvolve merely designating certain roads for local traffic only.The new plan actuallyshares many characteristics witha hauntingly similar grid design that urban plannerIldefons Cerd createdfor Barcelona's Eixample district in the late 19th century. That pedestrian-centric approach is still alive in the district, which includes hundreds of blocks of mini-districts, Rueda said.On average, between 5,000 and 6,000 people livein each 160,000-square-foot superblock area in Barcelona, though Rueda said histeam would like to make the blocks even biggersomeday if they can securea larger budget."It takes time for the people to occupy the streets. But they will," he says.SEE ALSO:Paris is banning cars from a major expressway that sees 43,000 cars a dayJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Chinese cities might start using these 'straddling buses' that carry 1,400 people at a time
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