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A research team from the Department of Geography of the UAB, in collaboration with the universities of Granada, the Balearic Islands and the Polytechnic of Valencia, has developed the “Atlas of cities for active mobility”, a tool to measure the potential of the environment of our cities to walk and cycle.
The atlas explores the cities of Barcelona, ??Valencia, Palma de Mallorca and Granada to highlight the features that promote sustainable mobility on foot and by bicycle. It combines 57 georeferenced variables to provide detailed data and analysis on urban densities, cyclability, green spaces, urban vitality and also on the “15-minute city” concept. “The purpose of the atlas is to be a rigorous and reliable source of information for a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle in urban environments,” explains the professor of Urban Geography at the UAB, Carme Miralles-Guasch, project coordinator.
The atlas shows, among other things, that almost the entire urban center of Barcelona has good conditions for walking, with high residential densities, a large number of shops and many areas with priority for pedestrians, which are concentrated in the historic center. , Sants, Gràcia, Sarrià and El Clot. Barcelona shows levels of active mobility potential similar to that presented by the cities of Palma de Mallorca, Valencia or Granada, at 42% of the urban surface.
Both the cities of Barcelona and Granada have 76% of the surface with basic urban facilities and services, at most, within a 15-minute walk, a measure of what is called the “15-minute city”, a percentage which rises to 81% in Valencia, but in Palma it is 38%.
Regarding the ease of traveling by bicycle, 22% of the city of Barcelona has a high cyclability, which is especially concentrated in the Eixample. In Valencia this percentage is 44% of the urban core, while in Granado it is 10% and in Palma 12%.
The atlas also provides detailed information on the urban vitality of different cities, a measure of the ability to encourage activities in public space, as well as on the percentage of urban green spaces, both public and private, in each municipality.
This is an initiative developed by the Mobility, Transport and Territory Study Group (GEMOTT) of the Department of Geography that was presented by UAB researcher Oriol Marquet, within the conference “Are our cities designed to be walked on foot?” and by bicycle?”
