The Recommendations for Improving Air Quality in Barcelona

[This article has been written by David Rojas (researcher) and Jordi Sunyer (Co-director) of the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), allied centre of ISGlobal]

We know the diagnosis: Barcelona is a polluted city. And this pollution, mainly the result of vehicular emissions, causes very serious health problems.

We know the diagnosis: Barcelona is a polluted city.  And this pollution (...) causes very serious health problems

Like other European cities—Paris, London, Berlin and Rotterdam—the city of Barcelona and its metropolitan area exceed the European Union’s limit values for pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2). As a result, local and regional authorities are obliged by European legislation to adopt measures to improve ambient air quality.  

Barcelona’s municipal and metropolitan authorities have set up a body—the Committee for the Reduction of Air Pollution—tasked with drawing up and implementing measures to reduce air pollution within the area. The Committee constitutes a diverse and cross-cutting working group representing all the stakeholders, including municipal authorities, business and financial interests, social actors, ecologists and scientists as well as the transport and health sectors.  Its task is to gain a deeper understanding of and analyse the situation regarding ambient air quality, to propose and implement corrective measures, to inform and raise awareness about the problems involved, and to monitor and report on the results of interventions.

An essential component of any strategy aimed at improving air quality in Barcelona will be to reduce traffic density

A number of institutions have been invited to participate in the Committee: the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), an allied ISGlobal centre; the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC);  the Barcelona Public Health Agency; the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB); and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC).  CREAL’s  role is to contribute scientific evidence and make recommendations about which actions should be prioritised to improve the city's air quality.

An essential component of any strategy aimed at improving air quality in Barcelona will be to reduce traffic density, since vehicular emissions are one of the main causes of pollution in the urban agglomeration. Thus, the plan must take into account the three principal components of urban traffic: private transport (cars, motorcycles, etc.), public transport (buses, taxis, etc.), and freight carriage. Interventions will be necessary in each one of these three areas.

First, we must decide on the goals we want to achieve. For example, to reduce the total number of trips by 33%.

The next level of debate should be about the general measures that should be put in place and implemented to achieve these goals.  For example, a specific proposal might be to reduce vehicular space by 33%, replacing it with green corridors and bike lanes that are separated from pedestrian spaces and protected from vehicular traffic. Other specific proposals might include the promotion of less polluting modes of transport, creating protected urban clean air zones (ZUAP or zonas urbanas de atmósfera protegida) and switching to cleaner modes of freight transport.

Barcelona’s municipal have set up a body—the Committee for the Reduction of Air Pollution—tasked with drawing up and implementing measures to reduce air pollution

Other, more general, measures that would help to improve ambient air quality could focus on different aspects: urban design (reducing the need for journeys of more than two kilometres); educating users and promoting the good use of roads (encouraging  car-sharing and the use of non-motorised vehicles); and improving public transport infrastructure and services.

These interventions would achieve a number of favourable outcomes:

• Reducing motor traffic in the city
• Reducing noise and pollution
• Increasing the area of urban green space
• Calming the environment and increasing social interaction and physical exercise
• A more healthy city

At the last meeting of the Committee, protocols were proposed for managing three scenarios that lead to the deterioration of air quality. These protocols could help to control air pollution levels in the city, preventing spikes that increase the risk to the population. Now, the Barcelona city council must study the proposed protocols and, if approved, implement them.