Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bicycle Safety

Seattle May Try to Replicate Barcelona’s ‘Superblocks’

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

Talking Headways Podcast: Under a Highway in Birmingham Alabama

Ben Donsky of Agora Partners on City Walk BHAM in Birmingham, Alabama, a public space project that connects two sides of the city separated by a highway.

October 9, 2025

America Has a Golden Opportunity to End the ‘Highway Boondoggle’ Crisis

America's wasteful highway spending has gotten out of control — and if President Trump really wants to promote efficient government, he'll urge Congress to stop it.

October 9, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Sleep Tight

A new study links insomnia with the length of a person's commute.

October 9, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are the Best of the Best

What does it take to turn the tide against the dominance of cars? These cities are an example.

October 8, 2025

This Newsroom Is Looking For Its Next Big Tip on the Train

Investigative journalists at ProPublica are betting that the next big tipster is riding the DC rails right now — and reaching out to find them.

October 8, 2025

Chicago Bike Scavenger Hunt Raises Money for Local Abortion Fund

Chicago cyclists are standing up for bodily autonomy — or, more accurately, pedaling for it.

October 7, 2025
See all posts