Barcelona City Council has announced a major initiative to convert 25 forgotten plots and wastelands into new public parks and gardens, injecting over 11 hectares of green space into the urban landscape. The plan, backed by a €46.3 million investment, will target derelict sites across all ten city districts, turning what officials call “non-places” into vital community assets.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
The project is the first major phase of the ‘Programme for Proximity and Interior Spaces’ (PEPI), a long-term strategy to renaturalise the city. Speaking at a press conference, Mayor Jaume Collboni framed the move as a way to reclaim lost urban territory for residents. “Today we are inaugurating a new way of generating green in the city, bringing it closer to all neighbourhoods and democratising it,” he said. “We will take advantage of the non-spaces – those in disuse, dead, or previously untouched – to expand our urban green spaces.”
According to the council, the city has identified approximately 100 hectares of land – equivalent to six Ciutadella Parks – which are currently underutilised. This includes neglected interior courtyards, vacant lots used as informal car parks, and awkward urban remnants remaining after demolitions. The initial 25 projects will begin development between September 2026 and March 2028, marking the first step towards a broader goal of creating 20 new hectares of green space by 2027.
From Railway Sidings to Rooftop Gardens
The earmarked sites vary significantly in size and scope. One of the most ambitious projects involves creating the 22,000 m² Jardins d’Oriol Martorell in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, which will be built on a large slab covering the FGC railway lines. Elsewhere, a 4,000 m² green roof will cover the Dipòsit del Rei Martí water reservoir, whilst an informal car park on Carrer del Pintor Alsamora in Nou Barris will become a 6,600 m² park.
Other interventions include transforming a 3,000 m² plot on Carrer de Castella in Sant Martí and renovating existing public squares, such as the Plaça dels Fotògrafs Català in Ciutat Vella. The council’s aim is not just to add greenery but also to create shade, improve biodiversity, and establish what Collboni described as essential “climate refuges” for residents.
This initiative to reclaim urban plots follows other city efforts to manage derelict land. For instance, the council recently guarded vacant plots in Sant Andreu from illegal settlements, a move highlighting the ongoing challenge of land use in a dense city.
A Coordinated Citizen Response
By a striking coincidence, on the very same day as the council’s announcement, a new citizens’ coalition formally launched to protect Barcelona’s existing green heritage. The ‘Coordinadora en Defensa del Patrimoni Verd’ (Coordinator in Defence of Green Heritage), a new umbrella organisation of around 30 neighbourhood groups, presented itself publicly at the Antic Teatre.
The group formed to denounce what it calls “municipal inaction” in preserving green spaces and to fight against urban speculation. In a statement reported by Tot Barcelona, the Coordinator stated: “In the city of Barcelona, with its very high population density and a very meagre amount of green per inhabitant, we cannot afford to continue losing the scraps of nature that we have left.”
The coalition’s origins trace back to a November assembly at the threatened ‘La Selva’ finca, a historic modernist property. “We decided we had to unite against institutions that do not represent us and want to spoil these spaces,” explained Martina Gasull, a spokesperson for the group.
New Growth, Old Fights
The dual announcements highlight a central tension in Barcelona’s urban development: While the city administration invests in creating new parks, a newly organised civil society front mobilises to protect existing ones from what they see as the threats of private development and neglect. This echoes wider conflicts over urban planning, such as the recent court case which annulled Gràcia’s urban plan amid political disputes.
The Coordinator aims to be a unified force promoting initiatives to protect and expand green spaces, from small urban gardens to the vast Serra de Collserola Natural Park. This aligns with broader greening strategies, including the city’s plan to build a new €3.1m Collserola green corridor.
As Barcelona moves forward with its ambitious plan to green its forgotten corners, it will undoubtedly face intense scrutiny from this coalition, determined to ensure new parks do not come at the expense of the city’s established natural and cultural heritage.
