Urban vitality in Barcelona
Urban vitality
Urban vitality indicates the capacity of the built environment to foster activities in public space. The JANE index, based on the theories of Jane Jacobs, is used to measure vitality.
Barcelona is a vital city. The highest values are found in 44% of the urban core. The historic center and traditional neighborhoods are the most vibrant areas. Gràcia, Sant Antoni, Sarrià, Hostafrancs and Sant Andreu are some examples.
In contrast, Barcelona has very low vitality points located on the slopes of the Collserola and Montjuïc mountains, in the port and in the main communication infrastructures.
What does urban vitality depend on?
The degree of urban vitality is the result of various variables that make up the JANE index: spatial concentration, functional diversity, contact opportunities, building diversity, accessibility, and distance to boundary elements.
Spatial concentration
Barcelona is a city with a high concentration of residential, commercial and equipment activities.
Spatial concentration values are high where the daily-use commercial fabric is combined with a high population density and public facilities, as seen in Raval, Sant Antoni, l’Esquerra de l’Eixample, and Sants.
The neighborhoods of Pedralbes, Sant Gervasi and Vila Olímpica have a lower spatial concentration mainly due to low population and commercial density.
The lowest values are found in monofunctional areas (mountainous areas, port, ring roads and industrial areas) located in the urban periphery.
Functional diversity
In Barcelona, highly diverse areas coexist with others specialized in industrial, residential, or urban park uses.
27.5% of the urban core has a high functional diversity. Mixed uses predominate in neighborhoods such as Les Corts, Sant Antoni, Raval, la Ribera, la Sagrera and Horta.
In contrast, Poblenou, Pedralbes, Sarrià and Les Tres Torres have a reduced degree of functional diversity.
Contact opportunity
The opportunities for contact and interaction in the streets of Barcelona are heterogeneous.
Contact opportunities are high in 18% of the urban core.
The highest values are found in the historic center and in traditional neighborhoods such as Barceloneta, Gracia and Sant Andreu.
The opportunity for contact is low in the periphery.
Diversity of buildings
Barcelona is a city where buildings from very different periods coexist.
The urban fabric of medieval origin, in the center of Barcelona, and the traditional neighborhoods of Sants, Hostafrancs, Horta, Gràcia and Sant Andreu are where the most diverse buildings can be found.
Accessibility
Barcelona has a heterogeneous distribution of accessibility. Values are high in 21% of the urban core. Three axes of high accessibility stand out, converging towards the city center: the north-south axis, which extends from the center towards Gràcia and Vallcarca; the east-west axis, from Hospitalet de Llobregat to the historic center; and the Meridiana axis, from Glòries to Sant Andreu.
Border elements
In Barcelona, the architectural elements that act as barriers to social interaction are road infrastructures. These include Avinguda Diagonal, Avinguda Meridiana, and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, as well as the ring roads (Ronda Litoral, Ronda de Dalt, and Ronda del Mig).
Location map
¿What does urban vitality depend on?
The degree of urban vitality is the result of the different variables that make up the JANE index: spatial concentration concentrationThe degree of urban vitality is the result of the different variables that make up the JANE index: spatial concentration, functional diversity, opportunity for contact, building diversity, accessibility, and distance to border elements.
