Barcelona to lead the way

While we in India grapple with air pollution with the Govt not really too concerned about the fact that Indian cities figure out so prominently in the “worst polluted cities” list, Barcelona can probably teach us a few lessons.

This Spanish city too has been fighting to improve the quality of its air as it has consistently failed to meet air quality standards set by the World Health Organization. But the city officials are not passive about this like our city officials; they have taken a few path breaking, bold steps.

It is creating what is known as “superblocks”. This means it will limit the number of cars and buses to use only the main thoroughfares in the city. The idea is to encourage more people to walk and use the bicycle. Barcelona plans to add some 200 kms of bike path to the existing 100 kms. The city officials also plan to reroute busses so that all residents have a bus stop within 250 meters of their home.

The city councilor for ecology, urbanism and mobility says, “Public spaces need to be spaces to play, where green is not an anecdote—where the neighborhood’s history and local life have a presence.”

This is such a far cry from what our local leaders think or rather never think about. No wonder these countries are “developed” and we are yet to develop despite the teeming population.