A major connecting street in Barcelona’s Sants-Montjuïc district is set for a radical transformation, with the City Council approving a project to prioritise pedestrians and green space over cars. The redevelopment of Carrer de Mossèn Amadeu Oller in the La Bordeta neighbourhood has a budget exceeding €2 million, with work scheduled to begin in June 2026.
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The nine-month project is part of the city’s broader push towards ‘street pacification,’ a strategy aimed at reclaiming public space from vehicles for residents. This initiative aligns with the Pla Endreça, a comprehensive €435 million city-wide maintenance and improvement plan running until 2028. It reflects a continuing trend across Barcelona, where similar schemes have temporarily closed streets in Sants and Gràcia to traffic. Other areas, like Plaça Adrià in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, have even gone completely car-free.
A New ‘Social Axis’ for La Bordeta
The intervention will reshape over 3,500 square metres of Carrer de Mossèn Amadeu Oller, currently a traffic-heavy artery. Council documents outline the goal: to convert it into a ‘social axis’ that favours sustainable mobility. The most significant change will occur in the central section, which runs between Nave 4 of the historic Can Batlló industrial complex and a new block of 40 cooperative social housing units.
This stretch will become a ‘plataforma única,’ or single-level platform, erasing the distinction between pavement and road. This design gives absolute priority to pedestrians and cyclists, creating a seamless public square and a primary access point to the revitalised Can Batlló site.
More Space for People and Nature
To achieve this, on-street parking will be eliminated on the side of the street nearer Plaça d’Espanya. This will allow the current, narrow 1.8-metre pavements to be more than doubled in width to a comfortable 4.5 metres. The remaining street space will feature a single lane for vehicle traffic.
The project also has a strong focus on ‘naturalisation.’ It will preserve 11 existing trees and plant 24 new ones, primarily holm oaks and Judas trees. In a nod to the neighbourhood’s history of labour struggles, the council plans to replant palm trees recovered from an old community garden.
These will be integrated into new ornamental garden beds, complemented by new street furniture and lighting to encourage residents to linger and rest.
Logistics and Community Input
The design incorporates practical considerations, developed over two years with input from a local neighbourhood platform. A dedicated ‘services lane’ will feature on the pavement bordering Can Batlló.
This area will house bins, loading and unloading zones, designated parking spaces for people with reduced mobility, and some zona verde parking spots for residents.
The street is currently a key route for the 115 and V5 bus lines. The redesign aims to ease overall congestion despite the reduction in car lanes, as Metrópoli Abierta first reported.
This large-scale investment in the Sants-Montjuïc district underscores the city’s commitment to improving quality of life across all its neighbourhoods. The district is known for its diverse character, from the green expanse of its famous hill (where the cable car recently reopened) to the bustling commercial streets of Sants.
