GEOFILE
768
Barcelona – a sustainable city
By Paul Sheppard
Synopsis
This Geofile looks at Barcelona and
the measures taken there to become
sustainable in a world where global
warming and the use of fossil fuels
are issues of major concern.
By adopting a sustainable approach
to energy production, waste
management and transport,
Barcelona aims to be a viable city
whose residents are not storing up
environmental problems for future
generations.
To meet the future needs of the city,
Barcelona has identified and
adapted its approach to demands
and needs to ensure both economic
and environmental resilience.
Key terms
Sustainability, the smart city
concept, eco-footprint,
renewable energy, traffic
management
●●
The impacts of these changes on people’s lives in
the city.
Links
Exam board Link to specification
AQA
Component 1: Human geography, 3.1.5: 3.1.5.4
Seismic hazards, see page 17
Click here
Edexcel
Area of study 2: Dynamic places, Topic 4: Shaping
places, Option 4A: Regenerating places, see
page 33
Click here
OCR
Human interactions, Topic 2.1: Changing spaces,
making places, see page 21
Click here
Eduqas
Component 1: Changing landscapes and changing
places, Section B: Changing places, see page 18
Click here
WJEC
Unit 2: Changing places, Section A Changing places,
see page 23
Click here
IB
Paper 2: Optional themes, Urban environments, The
sustainable city
Click here
Learning objectives
By the end of this Geofile you will
have learned about:
How Barcelona has changed from
a city in decline to a sustainable
city.
●● How Barcelona uses smart
technology.
●● How Barcelona’s eco-footprint
remains low.
●● How Barcelona uses the
advantages of a Mediterranean
climate for solar power.
●●
© Oxford University Press 2017 GeoFile, Series 36 Issue 1, September 2017
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Barcelona – a sustainable city
has a figure of 13.0 (Figure 2).
Atlanta’s urban sprawl covers
343 km2 with a density of 243
people per km2. In Atlanta,
there is a greater need for
private and public transport
and services. This leads to
greater energy consumption
and a higher eco-footprint. In
contrast, Barcelona’s more
compact city has a reduced
need for transport.
Figure 1 Sketch map of Barcelona showing the compact nature of the city
This Geofile is a case study of
how Barcelona has sought to
become a sustainable city, and
to what extent it has been
successful. Barcelona is the
capital of the semiautonomous region of
Catalonia in north-east Spain.
It is the second largest city in
the country after Madrid and
was the principal centre of
Spain’s industry from the
mid-19th century. This was
based on textiles but in the
1960s the city went into
industrial decline. Following
on from its successful hosting
of the Olympic Games in
1992, it has reinvented itself
as a cosmopolitan city.
Barcelona has attracted new
quaternary industry and
further developed itself as a
major tourist destination.
Barcelona occupies 101.9 km2
of land and has 1.6 million
inhabitants. If the surrounding
administrative districts are
added in, the population of
Greater Barcelona rises to 4.9
million. As such, it is a very
compact city with an average
population density of 15,900
people per km2 (Figure 1).
Being a compact city has many
advantages and with the
forward-looking approach of
the Catalan government and
local councils, or adjuntamentos,
the city is striving to be a
sustainable city.
There is a dominance of
apartment blocks over
individual houses in
Barcelona, and a lack of open
space: only 6.6 m2 of open
space per person, 2.4 m2 less
than the World Health
Organisation’s recommended
minimum. It would be hard to
change this figure without
drastically altering the nature
of the city.
Plane trees are common in the
avenues of Barcelona, just as
they are in London. As well as
providing shade, these trees
Barcelona considers the
environmental impacts of its
operation, whether via its
inputs of energy, water and
food as well as the waste
outputs of heat (air pollution)
and water pollution, aided by
smart technology.
One measure of a city’s
sustainability is its ecofootprint. This is how much
land and its resources are
needed to support one person.
In Spain the figure is 5.4,
while that of Barcelona is
3.26. In contrast, the USA has
an eco-footprint of 9.3, while
the city of Atlanta in Georgia
© Oxford University Press 2017 GeoFile, Series 36 Issue 1, September 2017
Figure 2 A comparison of ecofootprints for locations mentioned
in this Geofile
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GEOFILE
have the ability to absorb and
retain pollution within their
leaves. The bark of the tree
constantly peels, thus
preventing the pollution from
being absorbed. This acts as a
form of pollution control
within the city, as well as
having an aesthetic appeal.
The Eixample
Much of Barcelona is occupied
by the area known as the
Eixample, or extension, which
surrounds the once-walled old
town. It is based on a series of
grids, with 520 blocks
containing housing and
associated activities. The grid
pattern of roads has become
increasingly congested, and the
resultant pollution causes an
estimated 3,500 premature
deaths annually from
pollutants such as nitrogen
dioxide. Researchers have
found that this figure could be
reduced by limiting traffic flow.
Superblocks
One scheme being
implemented is the creation
of a series of ‘superblocks’,
measuring 400m by 400m
and incorporating nine of the
Eixample blocks in each
‘superblock’. Buses, lorries,
cars and scooters are only
allowed to operate on the
perimeter roads of the
superblocks, so pollution is
reduced. For business and
people living within the
superblocks, delivery vehicles
are given specific access but
at limited speed (10km/hr).
This is expected to produce a
21% decrease in private car
use and an increase in
Barcelona – a sustainable city ● 768
mobility by foot. Pedestrians
have a maximum distance of
300 metres to walk to a bus
stop. Increased frequency of
buses also compensates for
the lack of public transport
within the ‘superblocks’.
The policy is seen as a way of
reclaiming the streets for the
people. Barcelona, like most
Mediterranean cities, has a
café culture, with people
congregating on the street
rather than staying indoors,
where in the summer
apartments are too hot. The
flowing air in the streets is
cooling and an ideal place for
people to socialise. Janet Sanz,
a city councillor, claims that
this policy reclaims the streets
for the people. The urban
ecology changes for the better
with people outdoors in a less
polluted environment which
is more sustainable for the
people themselves and the
environment in general.
Bicing
Complementing this scheme
throughout the city is the
‘Bicing’ scheme. Launched in
2007, there are now 6,000
cycles for hire from 420
stations throughout the city.
At a cost of €47.15 per year,
people can register to use the
bicycles. Over 40,000
journeys are made per day
on the bicycles and by
November 2007, 8 million
km of journey by public or
private transport had been
saved. This in itself reduced
pollution levels within the
city, as do other forms of
public transport.
© Oxford University Press 2017 GeoFile, Series 36 Issue 1, September 2017
Figure 3 A street charging point for
electric and hybrid cars in Poble
Nou, Barcelona
Source: Paul Sheppard
Buses and taxis
The metropolitan area of
Barcelona uses 1067 buses,
36% of which are powered
by natural gas, 11% are
hybrid and 53% are dieselpowered. It is the cleanest
bus fleet in Europe. The
10,000 taxis are gradually
introducing hybrid vehicles
into the fleet, with many
made by Nissan in their Zona
Franca facility in Barcelona.
The aim is for electric and
hybrid vehicles to be the
standard mode of public
transport in the city. The
ready availability of charging
points makes the use of such
cars in Barcelona attractive
and aids its policy of
sustainability (Figure 3).
Green energy
Complementing transport
initiatives, Barcelona is also
using its location within the
Mediterranean climatic belt to
develop its use of solar energy.
With over 300 days of intense
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Barcelona – a sustainable city ● 768
sunlight a year, Barcelona is
ideally located to develop and
increase its use of solar power.
Use of this renewable source
of clean energy via solar
panels is now compulsory for
any new building constructed
in the city. The aim is for the
panels to produce 60% of
the hot water required by
the building.
The Forum (2004), located on
the Esplanade near the
Mediterranean, is an example
of what can be produced using
solar power. It is a 4,500 m2
photovoltaic solar panel facing
south, and is tilted at an angle
of 35 degrees to maximise
energy production. The
energy it produces is used by
the public sector and saves
440 tonnes of carbon
emissions annually (Figure 4).
22@, the Smart City
area of Barcelona
The 22@, or Poble Nou
district, occupies 200 ha of
Figure 5 Slats on the outer skin of the Torre Agbar, used to control
temperature within the tower block.
Source: Paul Sheppard
former textile factories. Today
it is a centre of ‘intensive
knowledge-based industries’
and uses ‘smart city’
solutions, ie ICT technology
and the internet to manage
the city’s assets, including
transport, waste management
Figure 4 The Forum solarvoltaic panel, Barcelona
Source: Paul Sheppard
© Oxford University Press 2017 GeoFile, Series 36 Issue 1, September 2017
and energy production in an
efficient and sustainable way.
It can be seen even in new
architectural forms. Torre
Agbar, fo example, is a
gherkin-shaped 34-storey
building which has an inner
and outer skin whose outer
panels can be moved to
control temperature. Sensors
on the outer skin monitor
temperature and regulate the
opening and closing of the
slats which cover its outer
surface. When hot, the slats
are horizontal allowing the
free circulation of air
reducing the need for air
conditioning. If cold, the slats
are closed to keep in heat and
reduce the need for central
heating (Figure 5).
In contrast, the Media-Tic
building is not a new structure
but an old warehouse which
has been adapted to
demonstrate other ways of
saving energy. Solar panels on
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Barcelona – a sustainable city ● 768
people walking by (Figure 6).
Unless they are reactivated
they later disconnect. Other
examples are seen with
parking meters containing a
small solar panel being
installed in the area.
Waste management
In the Tanger district of Poble
Sec, waste is used to generate
electricity, with an incinerator
being used to burn any
materials that cannot be
recycled. Grey water is
channelled from the city’s
drainage system, to be heated
and distributed by a piping
system to heat or cool up to
10 buildings which are linked
to it. The project alone has
seen an overall reduction in
CO2 emissions, with 10,961
tonnes saved in 2011.
Conclusions
Figure 6 LED street lighting controlled by sensors in Poble Nou, Barcelona
Source: Paul Sheppard
its roof operate and regulate
the bubbles and bags which
coat the exterior of the
building. The bubbles inflate
or deflate depending on the
intensity of the sunlight, and
regulate the temperature
inside the building. When
they are inflated, sunlight
enters and heats the building,
while deflated bubbles reverse
this operation. The bags
operate differently. If the
temperature needs to be
lowered, white-coloured
nitrogen is pumped into the
bags, making them cloudy.
This reduces the amount of
sunlight entering the building
and keeps the building cool. If
the building needs to be
heated, no nitrogen is pumped
into the bags. This innovative
design won the World
Building of the Year in 2011.
Smart city technology also
sees solar power and LED
lighting used in less highprofile but nevertheless
effective projects. LED lighting
is used in 12 locations for
street lighting, whereby an
unlit street is only illuminated
when sensors are activated by
© Oxford University Press 2017 GeoFile, Series 36 Issue 1, September 2017
Barcelona has become a
world leader in the
implementation of
sustainable projects to ensure
that the current generation
does not add to the problems
of the future. In recognition
of this, it was the first city to
receive the ‘Biosphere World
Class Destination’ award in
2011 by the World Tourism
Organisation, an affiliate of
UNESCO.
Its sustainable approach to
future development and the
use of new technology as well
as its climatic advantages has
seen Barcelona become a
world leader in adapting to
the challenges of the future.
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Barcelona – a sustainable city ● 768
Focus questions
1 What is meant by the term ‘a sustainable city’?
2 What does the term eco-footprint mean?
3 What advantages does Barcelona have that enabled it to become a sustainable city?
4 Outline the ways in which architecture, transport management and waste management can assist
sustainability projects. Use separate headings, or a spider/box/flow diagram to show how things
link up.
5 What else do you think Barcelona could do to be more sustainable? What advantages does
Barcelona have that have enabled it to become a sustainable city?
Learning checkpoint
After working through this unit, consider the
following questions
1. Why did Barcelona need to reinvent itself?
4. How has smart city technology assisted
Barcelona’s sustainable approach to
development?
2. List the ways in which you think Barcelona has
been successful in becoming a sustainable
city.
5. Explain why the city’s eco-footprint is relatively
low.
3. What effects will cleaner air have on the
people of Barcelona?
© Oxford University Press 2017 GeoFile, Series 36 Issue 1, September 2017
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