Inventory of premises in Barcelona

Barcelona City Council has drawn up an inventory of ground-floor premises which it plans to regularly update as part of a comprehensive, cross-cutting resource. The system will provide information for the general public, businesses and all the stakeholders involved in the city’s economic, social and urban-planning dynamics, also offering key knowledge for designing and implementing public policies in this area.

Methodology used to compile the inventory

Fieldwork was carried out between 17 May and 30 September 2016 with the aim of identifying all ground-level premises used for commercial purposes. Information was gathered during business hours, between 9.30 am and 7 pm, and directly uploaded onto mobile devices using software specially designed for this purpose, which enabled the cadastral plots of the area being covered to be displayed at any given moment.

The data have been arranged taking into account the current situation of each establishment and the activity group that it belongs to. They have been analysed on a neighbourhood and a district level, with a breakdown of establishments in the various commercial districts, markets and shopping centres as well.

Situation of the premises:

PREMISES is a generic definition for all those spaces on the ground floor of residential buildings that can be put to any use, as well as business activity spaces in municipal markets, arcades and shopping centres. Three types are identified within this generic definition:

• Active establishments or premises: those where a clear activity was detected and which were fully operational when the inventory was done.
• Premises currently inactive: those that were closed when the inventory was done and where there were signs on the shutters indicating they were for rent, sale, transfer or available, including those undergoing alterations.
• Premises with no information: those where there was no indication of any activity, nor signs of any kind, making it impossible to identify their use.