Barcelona has a new green lung. After three years of construction work, the new 29,000m2 park in Can Batlló, in the heart of the Sants district, has now opened. This is the first part of a major project that aims to revitalize neighborhood life and sports in the neighborhood. Thanks to it, the city will gain 487 more trees and nearly 9,000 plants.
Before, the space was occupied by a factory, now the neighbors will be able to enjoy new sports areas, children’s areas, spaces for dogs and paths to walk or have a picnic on the weekend.
In addition, all this green that the city has gained, will be maintained with groundwater, since in the same enclosure has been built a reservoir to store it and thus be able to sustainably irrigate the 10,000m2 of trees and plants.
Urban gardens and the fight against climate change.
The creation of this park responds to the objectives of the Pla Clima, which seeks to increase the quality of life of citizens and combat climate change.
For this reason, in addition to the 10,000m2 of green space, the site will have 1,200m2 of cultivation planters to create urban gardens. These have been located in a privileged position with respect to the sun, with the aim that the harvests will be of better quality.
On the other hand, the materials used to build the sports and rest areas allow for SUDS, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems. These systems ensure that the rain that falls in the city replicates the cycle and behavior of the water that falls in natural spaces.
Also, in the future, photovoltaic panels will be installed on top of the park’s sports facilities, which have already been built with polycarbonate.
Sports areas and interior trails
Inside the park, several areas have been set up so that the residents of Sants and Barcelona can enjoy this new green lung to the full.
Therefore, in total, 731m2 of sports spaces have been built. These include six indoor basketball courts, a large space for calisthenics and four ping-pong tables. In addition, the park also has dozens of paths for strolling and a creek with phreatic water.
The second part of the project includes the construction of a skatepark and a space with an amphitheater and an ornamental fountain, as well as more than 3,000 m2 of photovoltaic panels.