Sagrada Família high tourist traffic area
In 2023, the Sagrada Família received 4.7 million visitors, a figure that represents between 14,000 and 16,000 people per day. In addition, it is estimated that 18 million people visit the area around the church. It is clear that this influx of visitors must be managed in a sustainable and resilient manner.
The action plan has three key elements:
- Working with the strategies and interventions of each district.
- Defining interventions that are more directed at the sector.
- Drawing up, through dialogue with all the stakeholders involved (citizens, commercial fabric, etc.), a list of the needs and demands to be met.
Following a process of diagnosis and dialogue with all the stakeholders involved, the Action Plan has established 37 concrete actions that will help to achieve the objectives set to clean up public space, promote diversity in local commerce, reduce the impact of visitor flows and recover space for local resident activities.
The 37 actions fall within the following four challenges:
A) Occupation and saturation of public space
The area around the Sagrada Familia was not designed for the intensive use it currently experiences. Because of the way the public space in the area is being occupied, at times reaching saturation point, work needs to be done to improve this space in the following areas of intervention: urban landscape, tourist attraction points, public space model and disruptions or transformations resulting from urban developments.
B) Transformation of activities and uses, with a predominance of activities focused on visitors
The large number of tourists and visitors has led to a change in the commercial fabric and services in the area, which are increasingly focused on tourism, with the consequent loss of local commerce. Local residents are faced with shortages when it comes to services and shops that serve their everyday needs. With the aim of promoting diversity in local commerce, action will be taken in the following areas of intervention: diversity and inspection of economic activity, control of unauthorised activities, transformation of housing uses and revitalising the area.
C) Extensive pedestrian flow and mobility
The annual volume of visitors to the Sagrada Familia basilica and the surrounding area is estimated to be between 18 and 22 million people. When local residents are added to the mix, problems arise relating to coexistence, safety and security, noise, dirt and non-compliance with rules and regulations, associated with large numbers of people constantly moving about. With the aim of regulating visitor flows, work will be carried out in the following intervention areas: Bus Turístic and discretionary stops, taxi stands and mobility platforms, cycle and personal mobility vehicle (PMV) mobility and conventional public transport.
D) Difficulty undertaking everyday activities and enjoying community life in the area
The large number of visitors affects the day to day lives of local residents. The feeling of not having access to public space where they can carry out their own activities leads local residents to claim that public space should be for local people, and making their needs compatible with the large number of tourists is not an easy task. With the aim of recovering space for local resident and cultural activities, action needs to be taken in the following areas of intervention: weakening of the association network, communication and access to services, the most vulnerable collectives, and cultural and community activities.