Research 2: Green Spaces in Shared Streets

1.   Shared streets prioritize a variety of activity and movement; pedestrians share a space with cyclists, slow-moving cars, buses, and more. Transportation, relaxation, work, and play often coexist within these spaces. Restaurants utilize outdoor seating while children run through the unhurried street. People convene on benches and stoops, surveying the natural bustle of their city. The dominant material in this space is often pavement or cobblestone, which is functional albeit problematic. Hardscape not only has a habit of trapping heat, but is also aesthetically harsh.  Green spaces in shared streets deserve higher prioritization in order to harness their many benefits. Aside from ecological benefits, it would grant beauty and a chance to enjoy nature to residents and passerby. Urban trees and green spaces have also been proven to have an impact on the heat that hardscapes trap, while also addressing pollution.

2.   Barcelona, like most cities, suffers from the heat island effect and pollution. Given the high traffic of pedestrians on its shared streets, I believe that improved and increased usage of green spaces in these areas would be beneficial to the health and comfort of many people. In order to investigate this problem, I would start by measuring the number and density of trees along streets, the current area of green space, shade coverage along the street, as well as the levels of common pollutants.

How effective is an increase in green space at improving the health and safety of shared streets?

Sources:

https://www.barcelona.cat/infobarcelona/en/tema/climate-emergency/towards-the-green-barcelona-city-of-well-being_967283.html

https://www.barcelona.cat/infobarcelona/en/tema/climate-emergency/measures-to-tackle-heatwaves-and-high-temperatures-in-the-summer_971790.html

https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/qualitataire/en/qualitat-de-laire/com-es-lluita-contra-la-contaminacio/atmospheric-pollution-monitoring-and