Barcelona, A City Committed to the Environment Document complet Barcelona Environmental Report 2009 Barcelona, a city committed to the environment Barcelona Environmental Report, 2 0 0 9 Introduction he European Green Capital Award was cre- This report contains the information submit- ated in 2008 by the European Commission ted for the bid. It should be pointed out that, due Twith the aim to acknowledge the efforts to the aforementioned conditioning factors, the made by cities in environmental matters and to information provided here refers to the behav- foster their commitments to the future in favour iour of the city as a whole, regardless of the body of sustainability (see http://ec.europa.eu/environ- promoting the described actions, and it does not ment/europeangreencapital/index_en.htm for include all the city’s environmental aspects but further information). rather those on which questions have been posed in particular and which the European Commission Barcelona has entered the third edition of this considers significant and of current interest. contest, together with 17 other cities, seeking to become the European Green Capital for the Despite this strict compliance with the condi- year 2012 or 2013. In order to assess the bids, the tioning factors that have been established, we be- European Commission has defined an exhaustive lieve that this report has a value that goes beyond questionnaire in which it requests detailed infor- the bid, providing a quite complete view of the mation, with a limited length in words, on specific city’s environmental behaviour, which is especially environmental indicators, on measures carried out useful as a source of basic information. in recent years in certain fields, and on goals and projects for the future. September 2010, Environment Departament Barcelona City Council 2 Barcelona, a city committed to the environment Barcelona Environmental Report, 2 0 0 9 Summary Barcelona is a dense, compact city. A festive city with a thriving tourist industry, it is sub-arid as well as enclosed topographically. All these are ob- jective conditions that by no means help to make good environmental management here an easy task. As a result, making Barcelona a European reference in terms of the environment represents a considerable challenge. Though not quite a megalopolis, Barcelona is a metropolis of considerable proportions. Restricting ourselves to the central city, that is, the municipal- ity of Barcelona, itself little less than the entire other European capitals that are both smaller in conurbation, we are speaking of a population of size and less complex in terms of environmental 1,621,537 (2009) packed into just 100.4 km2, which conditions. Barcelona has not only overcome the gives a population density of 16,000 inhabitants challenges, but has transformed them into op- per km2. Much of this area is clearly mountain- portunities to advance towards a more efficient ous, to the extent that the city has long occupied and sustainable model. Barcelona is now seeking all the flat space that is reasonably available. The to become a decarbonised economy, a city that mountains and the sea are great attractions, but may be dense, but which is capable of renewing also place serious spatial constraints on the city. itself and designing new, quality public spaces, a It is not easy to manage the environmental con- city able to adapt to climate change. Ours is a city flicts that this state of affairs generates. Moreover, that leaves space for nature and biodiversity, that much of the population arrived here as part of suc- seeks to achieve greater comfort as regards noise, cessive migratory waves, and this has led to surges a city that accommodates great urban activity and in demand for housing and services that are by no is working with every passing day to improve air means compatible with harmonious management quality, to minimise waste generation and to im- of the urban environment. Fortunately, though, prove management. In short, a city that is becom- Cerdà’s rationalist and generous Eixample district, ing more and more committed to the environment. despite the penny-pinching interpretations that Proofs of this commitment are the advances the original plans have often suffered, ensures that made in the city’s environmental management our city enjoys the benefits of a modern, highly in recent years. By promoting an urban struc- functional basic fabric. ture that is based on diversity, compactness and Barcelona City Council’s decided commitment complexity, Barcelona has successfully positioned to building a sustainable city, combined with our itself amongst the western cities with the lowest citizens’ whole-hearted devotion to helping to per capital greenhouse gas emissions (less than conserve the environment, have enabled our city 4 tonnes). Moreover, its commitment to a new to manage the environment more successfully than energy culture has enabled our city to pursue its 3 Barcelona, a city committed to the environment Barcelona Environmental Report, 2 0 0 9 Summary activities more efficiently, proactively promoting last 30 years; on this point, it is to be highlighted renewable energy and self-generating 75% of the that Barcelona has 153,000 trees all over the city. electricity it consumes. This urban green also provides a habitat for a large diversity of fauna: more than 100 species of verte- Additionally, by promoting public transport, brates. the city authority has persuaded 80% of citizens to use this mode whilst, as a result of the policies The starting-point for all these environmental implemented and growing social awareness, water advances is the Barcelona Agenda 21, a sustainable consumption in Barcelona has been reduced by 15% action plan for the city that places considerable since the year 2000. This growing environmental emphasis on the social dimension and on citizen awareness has also been instrumental in increasing participation (nearly 640 organisations have al- the proportion of waste that is sorted at source by ready voluntarily signed the Citizen Commitment 188% since the year 2001. As regards urban green- to Sustainability). ing and biodiversity, moreover, the total green The distance traveled should be a boost to move area in the city has increased by 150% over the forward in each one of these fields. 4 Barcelona, a city committed to the environment Barcelona Environmental Report, 2 0 0 9 Table of contents Section 1. Local contribution to global climate change Barcelona, a city committed to the fight against climate change 11 1.1. Evolution of greenhouse gas emissions 12 1.1.1. Generated emissions 1.1.2. Source of emissions 13 1.2. Measures taken in recent years to deal with climate change 15 1.2.1. In Barcelona we have calculated our emissions and set reduction targets 1.2.2. Increasing savings, improving efficiency and boosting clean energies are all part of Barcelona’s strategy to tackle climate change 1.2.3. An additional strategy aimed at tackling the challenges of climate change: Adaptation 17 1.3. Goals and measures for the future 1.4. Historical and geographical context 20 1.5. For further information... 21 Section 2. Local transport Barcelona, a city of pedestrians that solves the mobility of more than six million daily trips. 23 2.1. Evolution of mobility in Barcelona 24 2.1.1. Modal distribution 2.1.2. Length of designated cycle lanes in relation to total number of inhabitants in the city 26 2.1.3. Share of population living within 300 metres of an hourly (or more frequent) public transport service 27 2.1.4. Proportion of all journeys under 5 km by private car 2.1.5. Proportion of public transport classified as low-emission. 28 2.2. Measures taken in recent years to reduce the total volume of transport and the use of private vehicles 29 2.2.1 Barcelona’s Urban Transport Plan (Plan de Movilidad Urbana – PMU) 2006-2010. 2.2.2. The Transport Pact is a pioneering social agreement within Forum Europe. 2.2.3. Public transport for all 2.2.4. Promotion of travel on foot and by bicycle. 30 2.2.5. Controlling the use of private vehicles and reducing traffic congestion. 2.2.6 Networking. 31 2.3. Goals and measures for the future 2.3.1. The Barcelona Metropolitan Region Mobility Plan (Plan Director de Movilidad de la Región Metropolitana de Barcelona – PDM) 2.3.2. Barcelona’s PMU 2006-2012 2.3.3. Barcelona, the ideal city for electric vehicles 32 2.3.4. The Master Plan for Infrastructures of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (PDI) 2009-2018 33 2.4. Historical and geographical context 34 2.5. For further information... 35 5 Barcelona, a city committed to the environment Barcelona Environmental Report, 2 0 0 9 Table of contents Section 3. Green urban areas Barcelona, a city that is growing greener 37 3.1. Evolution of green in Barcelona 38 3.1.1. The city’s green area grows yearly 3.1.2. Percentage of population living within 300 m of public green areas 39 3.1.3. Green urban areas per capita: Barcelona, a European and green city. 40 3.1.4. Additional development of other green elements 41 3.2. Measures taken in recent years to increase the extension and quality of urban green areas 42 3.2.1. A specific municipal action plan for green spaces 3.2.2. Urban reforms that generate new green areas. Barcelona looks out to sea. 43 3.2.3. Recovery of local green spaces: Plan for the Recovery of Inner Courtyards in El Eixample 3.2.4. Increase in plant biomass 44 3.3. Goals and measures for the future 3.3.1. Green area planning in the Municipal Action Plan 2008-2011 55 3.3.2.