In Building Community from the Ground Up –Urban Planning for a Connected Society, I explored how the way wedesign our cities directly shapes our ability to connect, belong, and thrive.

But that wasn't the first time I touched on thistopic.

Last year, I co-authored the report Den Magiska Formeln Till Lycka i Staden (The Magic Formula for Happiness in the City) where we looked at how the built environment influences our well-being.

One of the case studies we highlighted in that report was Barcelona's Superblocks.

This weekend, I'm spending a few days in Barcelona, revisiting those very streets we wrote about - and it's given me a new perspective.

There's something quietly radical about how the City is rethinking its public space.

It's not flashy.

It's not loud.

But it's meaningful.

The Superblocks are a clear example of what happens when a city decides to prioritise people over cars - and connection over convenience.

Let's have a look at what this is about.

What Is a Superblock?

The idea is both simple and ambitious. A Superblock - or Superilla in Catalan - is a cluster of city blocks where car traffic is heavily restricted.

Within these areas, through-traffic is diverted, speed limits are lowered, and the space is gradually handed back to pedestrians, cyclists, and public life.

Barcelona now has six Superblocks in operation, with more in development and an ambitious plan to create up to 503 across the City.

That would reclaim around 60% of streets previously dominated by cars.

And while the concept may sound abstract at first, the experience on the ground is anything but. (Read more about it here)

A City That Feels Different

Walking through a Superblock doesn't feel like walking through a typical city grid.

There's less noise. Less rush. Fewer honking cars or aggressive turns at intersections.

Instead, you see children playing, elderly neighbours sitting and chatting, cafés stretching into what used to be the street. It feels slower. Softer. More human.

You may have wandered through one and not realised it - and that's part of the charm. These aren't flashy showpieces.

They're modest, everyday spaces that invite aslightly different rhythm of life.

They offer a subtle but powerful reminder thatstreets can do more than just move traffic from A to B.

The Numbers Behind the Feeling

If you've read my articles before, you probably know this about me already: I'm a bit of a statistics person. Science nerd, data enthusiast - take your pick.

I like to feel the atmosphere of a place, sure, but I also love backing things up with actual evidence.

So, let's put some numbers into the mix.

In the Sant Antoni Superblock, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels dropped by 25%, and particulate matter (PM₁₀) fell by 17%. Daytime noise decreased by over 5%.

And in the Horta Superblock, more than 60% of residents said they felt more comfortable walking there, thanks to safer streets and improved accessibility - especially for strollers and people with reduced mobility.

On a larger scale, researchers estimate that a city-wide rollout of the Superblock model in Barcelona could prevent nearly 700 premature deaths per year.

That's thanks to cleaner air, quieter streets, and more physical activity.

That's a lot of impact from rethinking a few blocks at a time.

Replanning, Not Starting Over

One of the most inspiring aspects of Barcelona's approach is that it doesn't rely on building new infrastructure from scratch.

It's about replanning what's already there.

Taking familiar streets and adjusting their purpose.

Creating more room for conversation, movement, and everyday life - without the need for dramatic overhauls.

In this way, Superblocks offer more than a design strategy; they offer a mindset shift.

‍They show what's possible when we put people, not cars, at the centre of urban design.

A Personal Perspective

Coming from Amsterdam, where I bike everywhere - often with my daughter in one of those oversized cargo bikes - I'm used to cities designed around people. But experiencing Barcelona's Superblocks feels different.

It becomes more than infrastructure or policy.

It's a matter of atmosphere. About how a place makes you feel.

And when you slow the City down even a little, you give people more space to breathe, to connect, to be.

It's easy to overlook how much of modern life is structured around moving through places rather than spending time in them.

Superblocks turn that logic on its head.

They suggest that maybe the street outside your window could be more than just a shortcut - maybe it could be a space for life.

Let's Wrap This Up

Barcelona's Superblocks are about possibility.

They show us what can happen when we shift the focus of urban design from efficiency to experience, from movement to meaning.

We often talk about cities as systems, networks, and infrastructure.

But ultimately, cities are for people.

And the Superblocks remind us that it doesn't take a complete overhaul to make meaningful change - just the courage to reimagine the space we already have.

This makes my heart beat.

Whether you're a planner, a parent, a cyclist, or just someone trying to cross the street without dodging traffic, this matters.

Because how our cities are designed shapes how we live, connect, and belong.

So, is urban design broken? Maybe.

But cities like Barcelona are quietly - and beautifully - rewriting the rules.

And honestly, it's about time.

Lots of love,

Stina

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