Join us for this Auckland Conversations as we hear from international urban placemaking expert Salvador Rueda - most famous for inventing Barcelona's Superblocks. Together we will learn about the importance of creating space for people, how these methods have been implemented in different cities and towns across the world and explore whether this approach could be a good fit for Auckland's future.
What are Superblocks?
Superblocks – a concept of urban traffic planning intended to calm traffic in residential neighbourhoods – first originated from Barcelona, which was once one of the noisiest, most polluted, and trafficked cities in Europe. To create a superblock, several conventional city blocks are grouped together to create a unified and pedestrian – friendly area (Figure 1). They aim to enhance liveability by minimizing traffic, providing green spaces, and fostering a sense of community.
Cities around the world are taking inspiration from Barcelona’s ‘Superblock’ concept. Could this human-centred approach be applied in a supercity like Auckland?
Figure 1: a, Barcelona superblock adopted from the urban mobility plan of Barcelona.
Superblock design is characterized by exterior streets surrounding urban blocks and the transformation of interior street space.
b, The superblock design is further developed into similar urban configurations such as miniblocks or linear blocks.
Wednesday 13 March 2024
5.30pm - 7.00pm
(Doors open at 5pm for networking)
Waitākere Room, Aotea Centre, Auckland City Centre
This event is in collaboration with: