The municipal action plan will be rolled out in parallel to the work done by the Climate Emergency Group, set up today with over two hundred experts, organisations and representatives from all public administrations.

The group will be developing a decree to declare a climate emergency in the city as from 1 January 2020, when the permanent low emissions zone comes into force.

Boosting healthy mobility

In a move to improve the capacity and efficiency of surface public transport, a bus lane will be created in C/ Aragó and in C/ Carmen Amaya with Pg. Calvet.

Seven city streets will also see speed limits of 30 km/h applied and bicycles given priority on road surfaces: C/ Rocafort, C/ Sicília, C/ Ausià Marc, C/ Comte Borrell, C/ Gran de Gràcia, Pg. Joan de Borbó and Pg. Sant Joan.

Vehicles with the lowest emissions will enjoy benefits, with new tax breaks to complement the low emissions zone.

Streets with community life

The city will continue to create superblocks to promote mobility on foot and healthier public space. Work will continue on the blocks already being developed in Sant Antoni and Horta, with projects for new superblocks in the neighbourhoods of Sant Gervasi – La Bonanova, Esquerra de l’Eixample and Dreta de l’Eixample.

The next few months will also see the opening of the new green artery of C/ Cristóbal de Moura, in the Besòs area, and the Jardins del Doctor Pla i Armengol, in the neighbourhood of Guinardó.

Prioritising school environments

Various action will be carried out in and around schools to protect children’s health:

• Improved air quality at 85 schools.
• Street calming, with less traffic around 27 schools.
• 9 new eco-friendly chamfers.
• 11 new projects to create climate refuges.
• Audits at ten centres.
• Expansion of the programme ‘Escola respira’.

• Less waste and more recycling

Door-to-door selective waste collection will be studied with a view to rolling the system out in more city neighbourhoods. The pilot scheme for this system in the old quarter of Sarrià saw waste collection tripled.

Various measures will also be applied to eradicate the use of plastic in the city, such as the constitution of the Zero Plastic Group between public and private sector, and the obligatory use of refundable glasses at all activities requiring a municipal licence.

Generation of renewable energy

In an effort to cut CO2 emissions and foster the use of renewable energies and the self-production of energy, all new municipal facilities or buildings to be renovated will get solar panelling to generate energy. Thirty solar generation building projects will also be tendered by Barcelona City Council.