Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bicycle Safety

Seattle May Try to Replicate Barcelona’s ‘Superblocks’

11:52 AM EDT on September 6, 2019

The intersection of a Superille, with excess street space repurposed for play. Photo: BCN Ecologia

A Seattle council member is proposing that a six-block area of the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood be transformed into a Barcelona-style "Superille" or "Superblock."

These clusters of blocks — in which car traffic is mostly curtailed — have become hugely popular in the Spanish city, transforming residential districts by creating walkable, child-friendly neighborhoods with welcoming public spaces.

Council Member Teresa Mosqueda thinks that superblocks would work well in her district, so she is urging that Seattle pilot the model in a six-block area of Capitol Hill between between Pine and Union between 12th and Broadway. Vehicle traffic would be routed around the area, sparing residents living on the interior blocks the noise, pollution and danger of interaction with traffic.

Mosqueda said she would take up the idea after the election in November, when she hopes it will receive the support it needs in the council, Margo Vansynghel at Capitol Hill Blog reported.

superblock-2-468x251

Of course, Seattle, a national leader on street design, is already experimenting with a similar idea. The city calls its experiment "home zones." It is offering $350,000 in grants for neighborhoods that want to try traffic calming within "a grid of arterial streets."

By all accounts, the Superilles experiment in Barcelona has been a huge success, as David Roberts at Vox has detailed. On some of the city's earliest Superblocks, bike trips rose by 30 percent and walking jumped 10 percent. The blocks make urban life quieter and more peaceful and sociable by creating a space for gathering and play, as the photo above shows.

Barcelona eventually hopes to expand them to cover the entire city.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

To Help Save the Planet, Take the ‘Week Without Driving’ Challenge

Former Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz is urging Americans to give up driving for seven days — and support policies to make it optional for everyone.

September 29, 2023

Labor Gains: NYC Judge Tosses App Giants’ Suit to Stop Deliverista Minimum Wage

Justice Nicholas Moyne cleared the way for a long-delayed wage hike for workers who brave dangerous roads to bring food directly to New Yorkers.

September 29, 2023

Friday’s Headlines Are Charged Up

Expect a lot fewer ordinary gas stations and a few more Buc-ee's in your area as the electric vehicle transition continues.

September 29, 2023

Commentary: Let’s Talk About the Real “Fatal Flaw” on Valencia

How many people have to die before professional advocates stop endorsing the Valencia Street "experiment" on people?

September 28, 2023

Talking Headways Podcast: Beyond Greenways

This week we’re joined by Bob Searns to talk about his new book and grand ideas for walking trails that circle whole regions and more local routes that make up a new mode of green infrastructure in cities.

September 28, 2023
See all posts