Upcoming events

  • 19/06/2024
    We join in support of the "Fora Fórmula Fum" campaign against holding an F1 event in the city center. At 5:30PM at the intersection of Aragò with Balmes
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What is Aragó, Respira!? ⬆️

Aragó, Respira! is an initiative by Eixample Respira to raise awareness among citizens about the adverse effects on health and quality of life caused by the coexistence of residential areas with high-traffic lanes in the city center.

The urban highways that cross the Eixample (Aragó, Gran Via, Urgell, Entença, Valencia, Paris, Aribau, Muntaner, Pau Claris, etc...) fill the city with fumes and noise, break the social fabric of the neighborhood, and occupy most of the public space.

We ask the administrations to show courage to change this situation and to reorganize public space in a more equitable and beneficial way for all citizens.

Data on mobility and green spaces in the Eixample district ⬆️

  • 85% of the noise in the city is caused by vehicle traffic
  • 70% of public space is dedicated to infrastructure for private transport (motorcycles, cars, and vans), but private transport only moves 20% of the population. The remaining 80% move on foot, by public transport, bicycle, or other non-polluting means
  • In the Eixample, each person has less than 2 square meters of green spaces, while the WHO recommendations are a minimum of 10 square meters
  • More than 1000 deaths are estimated each year in the city of Barcelona due to air pollution, and more than 100 deaths due to noise
  • Traffic on Aragó Street, one of the many urban highways in the city center, is 65,000 vehicles per day, similar to that of a highway like the AP7
  • More than 250,000 vehicles cross the Eixample daily. Of all these, less than 50% have origin or destination in the district: in other words, the Eixample is a transit area for most vehicles

How can I help? ⬆️

If you also think that it’s time to change the urban highways of Barcelona and redesign the Eixample for the people, you can get involved in many ways:

  • Join the Whatsapp information group, where you will receive updates on assemblies or future actions
  • Put up the campaign poster in your doorway (you can find them below). Don't have a printer? Send us an email, and we will bring you a copy!
  • Inform your neighbors about this campaign
  • If you use Twitter, show everyone what it means to live on an urban highway, using the hashtag #AragoRespira
  • Participate in the regular assemblies
  • Participate in the actions we will call for
  • Help organize informational events

Download the posters and hang them in your building ⬆️

The posters' format is A4. You can print it with any printer

The original manifest of the campaign (2023) ⬆️

Aragó street underwent two major transformations in the past centuries, designed to adapt and respond to the needs of the city at all times. In 1882 an ambitious project was inaugurated with the underground railway and bridges that linked the perpendicular streets. 80 years later, in 1962, the second version was inaugurated, where the train track was covered to facilitate road traffic. Aragó street adapts to the times and opens the way for a new actor: the car, the growing mean of transport at that time.

Today, Aragó is the urban highway par excellence: a street crossed by more than 60,000 vehicles every day, where the people who live there cannot open their windows, and those who pass by cannot enjoy that space to walk, play, shop, or meet their neighbors.

For this reason, more than 60 years after the last great change, from Eixample Respira we claim that it is time for a new redesign of Aragó to adapt it to the newer times. Today Barcelona and its people have different views than a few years ago, and it is necessary for the city's urban planning to respond. We already have plenty of convincing scientific evidence on the impact that noise and air pollution have on the health of the population, especially the most vulnerable ones: children and elderly people.

It is time for the residents to get back their street and for cars, the main actor of the last 60 years on Aragó, to be supporting of the change. Just as the train did at the time, it is not it is a question of prohibition on cars, but rather to give prominence to pedestrians, to collective and non-polluting means of transportation and to other forms of use for the public space.We want the neighbors from Aragó street and its surroundings, to enjoy this space without being impacted on their health.

Previous transformations of Aragó street are the proof that the streets of Eixample have changed their use to adapt to each time. For this reason, Eixample Respira proposes to rethink Aragó street for the future. An avenue adapted to the new times and their challenges. A new street full of life, with more green, less noise, where people can breathe clean air.

Social Networks ⬆️

Join our whatsapp info group and stay up-to-date with all campaign activities! Scan the QR code or enter https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dug2mwvW7AE80BePimS0CJ

Use the hashtag #AragoRespira in your tweets, with a photo of video showing the situation of Aragó

Events ⬆️