Barcelona has added nine new water play areas this summer, taking the city total to 18. The new spaces are spread across several districts and are meant to give residents more places to cool off during periods of high heat.

The new locations are Plaça Carme Simó in Ciutat Vella, Avinguda Mistral in Eixample, Plaça de Joan Pelegrí and Jardins de Justa Freire in Sants-Montjuïc, Parc de Joan Reventós in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Plaça Harry Walker in Nou Barris, Jardins del Baix Guinardó in Horta-Guinardó, Parc d’Antoni Santiburcio in Sant Andreu, and Plaça de Lolita Torrentó in Sant Martí.

They join the city’s existing water play areas, which will also open in the coming days. Those sites include Canyelles in Nou Barris, Parc de les Rieres d’Horta in Horta-Guinardó, Bon Pastor and the Canòdrom de Meridiana in Sant Andreu, Plaça del Maresme in Sant Martí, the Antiga Casa de l’Aigua, Parc de les Glòries, Jardins de Sant Joan de Déu at Illa Diagonal in Les Corts, and Plaça Caramelles in Ciutat Vella.

The city says the water play areas use a system designed to reduce water use. Children activate the features with a push-button, and a new cycle does not start until the previous one has finished. The spaces will run from 10:00 to 20:00, without a midday break, from June to September. They are recommended for children aged five and above, who must wear shoes, and pets are not allowed.

Barcelona says the scheme is part of its Heat Plan and wider climate response, and that the water play areas also sit within the city’s Climate Refuges Network. The council also links the project to its Play in Public Space Plan, which aims to improve opportunities for play and physical activity in public spaces.

The city plans to add five more water play spaces by 2027. Two will replace existing fountains on Gran Via, one at Carrer d’Espronceda and one at Plaça d’Espronceda. Two more are planned in Ciutat Vella, at Plaça del Poeta Boscà in Barceloneta and Plaça dels Fotògrafs Català in Sant Pere, while another will open on Carrer Palamós in Nou Barris. Barcelona also says it has 1,754 drinking fountains, with locations available through the city’s official climate and energy pages and the Climate Refuges Network.

For more Barcelona updates, see our Community and Sport pages.

Originally published by Barcelona City Council Press Room. Read original article.