The concept of “Superblocks” is an urban innovation that aims at low-carbon mobility following a participatory approach at the city and neighbourhood level. The idea is that the city, at the neighbourhood level, is reorganised into car-free areas that maximise public space for new social uses and keep road traffic outside the neighbourhoods – so called superblocks. Inner streets are redesigned for the primary use by pedestrians. The planning process as well as the adapted mobility behaviour after completion of the infrastructure changes both need strong communication and engagement work to faciliate a succesfull working of a Superblokck. In Vitoria-Gasteiz the positive environmental impacts of the measures were significant, reducing conmbustion engine-borne emmissions.
Title
Brief description
The concept of “Superblocks” is an urban innovation that aims at low-carbon mobility following a participatory approach at the city and neighbourhood level. The idea is that the city, at the neighbourhood level, is reorganised into car-free areas that maximise public space for new social uses and keep road traffic outside the neighbourhoods – so called superblocks. Inner streets are redesigned for the primary use by pedestrians. The planning process as well as the adapted mobility behaviour after completion of the infrastructure changes both need strong communication and engagement work to faciliate a succesfull working of a Superblokck. In Vitoria-Gasteiz the positive environmental impacts of the measures were significant, reducing conmbustion engine-borne emmissions.
Keywords
Urban mobility, social innovation, SUMP, urban planning
City/Country
Time period
From 2007 to Present (Ongoing initiative)
Lever(s)
Methodologies
The Superblocks concept: “The superblock is an urban cell defined by some peripheral main roads, where the surface transport networks (bicycle, bus and car) circulate, and some internal streets or pacified roads, where preference is given to pedestrian and cycling modes, and motorised traffic is restricted to residents' cars, service vehicles and emergency vehicles. On both main and internal roads, speed is limited.” (see https://www.vitoria-gasteiz.org/humanscalecity, p34)
Deliberative workshops with both a) technical staff for inter-departmental consensus making and b) technical-political workshops to convince all political parties, and c) the greater public, through a special Citizens' Forum for Sustainable Mobility
Agreement in Citizens' Pact for Sustainable Mobility.
All of these efforts fed into the development of the city’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP)
World Region
Scale(s) of the case analysed
Target audience and dimension
Domain(s) of application
Context addressed
Solution applied
Challenge addressed/ Problem-led approach
Barriers addressed
Main Practices
Impact
Co benefits
Engagement Journey
Impact to climate neutrality
Impacts of the first Pilot Superblock in 2009/2010 in the “Sancho el Sabio” neighbourhood area were:
The pedestrian surface increased from 45% to 74% of the total surface.
Noise measured sank from 66,50 dBA to 61,00 dBA (due to reduction of motorised vehicles in the zone).
A 42% reduction in CO2 emissions, 42% reduction in NOx, and 38% reduction in particles.
A modal split shift from cars to walking and cycling: walking (66%), cars (23%) and cycling (11%).
By 2021, the development of 20 (out of 77 planned) Superblocks had started. According to the 2006-2016 evaluation report of the SUMP and the Cyclist Mobility Master Plan of Vitoria-Gasteiz:
Vitoria Gasteiz has seen the development of a new mobility paradigm in the city, manifested in a shift in transport mode used for commuting.
The environmental quality of the city has improved, including improved air quality, a reduction in total CO2 emissions, lowered noise pollution, as well as decreased congestion and fuel consumption.
In recognition of the city's effort, Vitoria-Gasteiz has received several awards, including the title of "European Green Capital" (2012) as well as the "UN Global Green City Award" (2019). The SUMP was further rated as a best practice example by UN-Habitat.
Context & Public policy of reference
Local level: SUMP as part of SDG-oriented sustainability strategy (esp. SDG11)
EU level: SUMP/2013 urban mobility package
Innovative approach(es) addressed
The concept of the Superblocks was invented in the the city of Barcelona, where it was piloted in 1993, with two more superblocks following in 20031. The approach was also taken up in Vitoria-Gasteiz where civil society actors and the city council pushed for the development of a more sustainable mobility concept in 2006. An intense participatory, deliberative process of technical-administrative and technical-political workshops led to the Citizens' Pact for Sustainable Mobility, which was signed in 2007 by over 50 local and diverse stakeholder groups, establishing a consensus between the public administration and civil society to define new priorities for sustainable mobility. Ultimately, all of these efforts fed into the development of the SUMP, which was unanimously accepted by the City Council by the end of 2007.
A new public transport system was implemented, which was embedded into the social fabric e.g. with the help of volunteers who worked as ambassadors for the new mobility services. This was followed in 2009/2010 by the development of the first Superblock in the “Sancho el Sabio” neighbourhood.
Initiator
Based on the Citizens’ Pact and the SUMP, the city council of Vitoria-Gasteiz invited the Barcelona Urban Ecology Agency (BCN ECO) to support the city in the planning of the Superblock approach based on their technical expertise.
Stakeholder networks and organisational model
Who: The SUMP was developed following a multidisciplinary and participatory approach involving a variety of municipal departments and stakeholder groups. These included transport professionals, an association of people with reduced mobility, local economic agents, retailers, and professional and neighbourhood associations. In addition, established organs of participation such as the Environmental Council and the Local Agenda 21 Council participated. The University of the Basque Country was also involved.
How: An intense communication and dissemination campaign was launched in order to convey to the public the aims of the plan. This campaign was followed by a citizens consultation process, mainly comprising public briefings and participative workshops.
A number of channels and forums provided information to citizens:
sector councils, territorial councils, the Municipal Social Council;
mobility web portal, urban ecology classroom, digital bulletin, established city newsletters;
technical workshops, press conferences,
institutional media campaigns, street communication campaigns;
Democratic Purpose
Participant Recruitment
nteraction between participants
Resources
Key enablers
Preconditions:
pedestrian culture / identity
Strong, well established urban sustainability policy
Well organised population
Process:
The high level of public participation helped create credibility of the initiative, enabling the city to overcome conflicts of interest and adjust the mobility plan to the requirements of the public.
Political-Economic/Power:
Conflicts of interest were also not given regarding the main employers in the city: the automobile industry (providing 30% of jobs) didn’t object to the plans but expressed willingness for new mobility patterns as they still saw a market in it.
Key inhibiting factors
Resistance to change from affected residents/car-owners
Fear of losing jobs amongst retailers
Gentrification in superblocks is a general concern
Drawbacks/pros/cons of the solutions (after implementation)
Scalability
The costs of Superblocks as developed in Vitoria-Gasteiz mean strong infrastructural modifications and strong communication campaigns to in the end create acceptance and behaviour change. Both together mean relatively high costs. Therefore, results are transferable as long as plans with similar objectives in other cities are based on the same foundations of heavy infrastructural changes and powerful participation, communication and promotion campaigns.
Key lessons
Main positive lessons/opportunities identified
Large infrastructure changes are possible
Car-free city centres are socially attractive and environmentally effective
Main failures/barriers identified
Need for good public transport system
Need of good participation and sustainability culture
Availability of funding
Indicators
Pedestrian surface / area
Noise / area
CO2, NOx, and fine particulate matter emissions / area
Shift in modal split from cars to walking
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