Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The Park Güell Strategic Plan was launched in 2018 and will continue to be applied until 2026. Its goal is to improve the social return of the park for the city and preserve its natural and architectural heritage through an investment of 15 million euros. The measures implemented so far have halved the number of visitors and increased the community use of the park, thanks to free access for local people.

The measures taken have generated a social return which, with 50% of the investment made, will be used for new initiatives designed to improve the park and its surroundings. This means various measures in the neighbourhoods of El Coll, La Salut, Vallcarca i els Penitents, El Carmel and Can Baró, in the districts of Gràcia and Horta-Guinardó.

Measures in Gràcia

• Urbanisation of Coll del Portell
• New Font del Carbó park
• Urbanisation of Torrent del Remei
• New passages: Pare Alegre-Antequera, Pícnic Park Güell with Marianao and Passeig Turull with Coll del Portell.

Measures in Horta-Guinardó

• Urbanisation of Carrer d’Albert Llanas and Carrer de Miquel dels Sants Oliver,
• Urbanisation of Plaça Raimon Casellas

Work will also continue during this period to reduce the impact from the high volume of visitors and improve mobility thanks to online-only ticket sales, a boost to the Gaudir Més programme and a working group for proposals and decision-making on mobility.

In terms of greenery and biodiversity, some 25% of the investment will be used towards the protection of the park’s natural and architectural heritage. Similarly, a research and dissemination programme will be created under the name of Fem Park, as will the Coll del Portell social and work centre. New initiatives will also help consolidate the park as a cultural space for local organisations, with a new museum narrative launched and other measures implemented.

The plan runs until 2026 and will coincide with events to mark the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí and the opening of the park as a public space.

A park for the people of Barcelona

The first stage of the strategic plan for 2018-2022 has seen over 200 steps taken with goals to reduce the impact of mass tourism at the park and its environs, foster communal uses, improve mobility, achieve a park with living cultural heritage and develop a new governance model. During this time, over 8.3 million euros has been invested in:

• Creation of a broad range of cultural options inside and outside the park
• Activities for schools, the general public and sports organisations
• Calming measures around the streets of Olot, Rambla de Mercedes, Marianao and Sant Josep de la Muntanya
• Improvements to the Font Sarva
• Astroturf at the football ground in El Carmel
• Replacement of escalator in the lower section of Baixada de la Glòria
• Enlargement of the Bosc Turull environmental classroom
• Renovation of the Escola Baldiri i Reixac, the Consol Canals viewing area and Plaça de la Natura
• Motor mechanism for the El Carmel entrance gate
• Reurbanisation of Carrer Alguer
• Self-protection plan
• Improvement of the areas around the Font de Sant Salvador and adjacent steps
• Existing cultural and artistic initiatives in local neighbourhoods included inside Park Güell

Moves have also been made to make it easier to access the park and get free daily tickets from all people officially residing in Barcelona, with a series of measures also designed to reduce the capacity of the site. Before the pandemic, Park Güell received 9 million visitors a year. From the point where the park reopened in the summer of 2020, measures were applied to limit the capacity and volume to a maximum of 4.5 million visitors a year, easing the pressure from tourism.

The regulation of access using time bands, some of which are exclusively for local people and schools and for all people on the Gaudir Més programme, have also helped bring down the high numbers of visitors. Since these initiatives were implemented, the current volume of monthly visitors accessing the park for free is around 60,000.

Regarding mobility, measures taken include the regulation of buses, restrictions on car parking outside of the park’s hours, the elimination of five coach parking spaces and five spaces for passengers to get on or off coaches.