About

Carrer de Sancho de Ávila, located in the Sant Martí district of Barcelona, is part of the city’s major urban transformation within the 22@ innovation district, an urban regeneration programme launched in 2000 by the Ajuntament de Barcelona. The 22@ plan aimed to convert former industrial land in Poblenou into a mixed-use district combining housing, green spaces, and innovation-related activities. The transformation of Sancho de Ávila forms part of the “Eixos Verds 22@” (Green Corridors 22@) programme, a comprehensive plan to create a network of green and pedestrian-prioritised streets connecting the sea with the city’s inner fabric. This urban plan was developed by the Department of Urban Ecology of the Barcelona City Council and approved by the municipal plenary in March 2025. The detailed design phase for Carrer de Sancho de Ávila began in 2020, and the main construction works were carried out between 2021 and 2023, marking the street’s complete transformation by the end of 2023.

The redesign of Sancho de Ávila follows the principles of the Superilla (Superblock) model first applied in Poblenou in 2017, which reorganises mobility hierarchies to favour pedestrians and cyclists over private vehicles. The new cross-section features one-way segregated cycle tracks, widened sidewalks, and continuous green buffers with trees and planters that create shaded, comfortable micro-environments. Small urban plazas punctuate the street at key crossings, incorporating play elements for children, fitness equipment, and flexible seating areas. These inclusive micro-spaces were designed to promote intergenerational use and spontaneous play, consistent with Barcelona’s “Ciutat Jugable” (Playable City) strategy.

The transformation has generated measurable and qualitative changes in the area. Vehicle traffic has decreased by approximately 30–40 %, while pedestrian and cycling flows have risen by over 50 %, according to mobility counts from comparable Superilla pilot streets. Air quality and noise levels improved locally, with measured noise reductions of 4–6 dB and CO₂ emissions cut by an estimated 15–20 % through reduced vehicle idling and modal shift. The addition of new tree alignments and permeable soil beds enhanced storm-water infiltration and provided minor but continuous carbon sequestration—estimated at several tonnes of CO₂ per year. Summer surface temperatures dropped by 2–3 °C on average thanks to increased canopy cover and evapotranspiration. Socially, surveys in similar corridors indicate higher public satisfaction, more outdoor café use, and increased retail footfall, showing how urban design directly affects local economic vitality.

Scientifically, the project embodies evidence-based planning principles: integrating nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, promoting active mobility for health and emissions reduction, and creating high-quality public spaces for social well-being. Carrer de Sancho de Ávila demonstrates how post-industrial streets can be reprogrammed into climate-adaptive, inclusive, and resilient public realms. It stands as a model of how Barcelona’s urban policies merge ecological performance with human experience—an exemplary case of data-driven urban transformation for twenty-first-century sustainable cities.