The agreement will help strengthen recovery projects such as the one for the Majorca midwife toad

The Fundació Zoo has signed a collaboration agreement with Damm to jointly promote conservation projects for native species. The coordination between the two organisations has helped establish a work calendar for 2022 and 2023 within the framework of the Zoo’s recovery and monitoring projects for native species. 

Coinciding with International Biodiversity Day on Sunday, 22 May, the signing of the agreement is in line with Barcelona Zoo’s desire to continue promoting a model that is committed to animal welfare and the conservation of biodiversity, and to launch projects which contribute to research, conservation, education and awareness about threatened species and the protection of ecosystems. 

The agreement is part of the commitment by Damm to look after the environment, in line with the company's key goals of reducing its impact on the environment, combating climate change and protecting biodiversity. 

Promotion of the project to protect the Majorcan midwife toad

Among the species included in the agreement, there will be a boost for the work to conserve the midwife toad, an amphibian exclusive to the Tramuntana mountain range in Majorca. 

Barcelona Zoo started work in this area in 1993, in collaboration with the government of the Balearic Islands.Populations of this species, previously considered extinct, have been stabilised since then. 

The agreement will help the Zoo with the work carried out on its premises, such as the genetic characterisation of the species, studies of epidemiological risk and monitoring of animals introduced into the natural habitat. 

Over 1,500 individuals have been born at the Zoo since the project started, 95% of which have been given to the Majorcan authorities to be reintroduced. The data show the success of the project, which has stabilised populations of a species considered extinct and for which only fossils had been recorded.
 

The Park is playing host to a solidarity day event on Sunday, 15 May, entitled “Change the world through education. Discover why educating cures”

Contributing to reflection on the importance of guaranteeing the right to education. Tibidabo Amusement Park is holding a solidarity day tomorrow, 15 May, entitled “Change the world with education. Discover why educating cures!”, organised in collaboration with the NGO Educo. The aim behind the initiative is for visitors to the Park to find out about the difficulties children in some countries have in accessing quality education, and how this affects all levels of their lives. 

The activity will be held throughout the day at Tibidabo Amusement Park. Children who come over to the Educo space will discover how the most vulnerable children from countries such as Guatemala, India and Mali have problems going to school or getting an education, a reality experienced in many parts of the world. Educo aims, through a makeup activity, to convey to young children the meaning of going to school, beyond learning subjects such as maths or languages. That way they will be able to reflect on aspects such as how having a home electricity supply or having a good diet have a significant influence on their personal development.

Educo is an organisation that has been working for 30 years to ensure children's right to education and is undertaking projects in 14 countries around the world. Its purpose is to champion education as a tool for combating poverty from its roots and to put an end to social inequalities. 

The day event will consist of solidarity initiatives carried out by the Amusement Park under the Tibidabo Solidari programme, a project that plays an important role in raising social awareness throughout the season, in collaboration with svarious associations. The aim is to support the most vulnerable groups, such as children. 
 

B:SM’s charging network has been selected from 40 international projects as an example of a strategy that focuses on city residents 

At IESE, from today until 6 May, the UN’s Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is analysing how public-private alliances are of strategic importance in promoting projects that help to achieve the SDGs

The meeting brings together experts from 13 countries and highlights the challenges cities face when it comes to tackling climate change

Today, B:SM’s e-mobility network, Endolla Barcelona, is taking part in the 6th edition of the International Public-Private Partnerships Forum (PPP), held by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The forum, which is taking place from today until 6 May at Barcelona’s IESE Business School, highlights the importance of agreements between administrations and companies for the launching of projects that are clearly focused on city residents and help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The Endolla network has been selected because it focuses on city residents, with three main objectives: to facilitate an equitable transition to electric vehicles, to support the evolution of the sector and to improve the living conditions of city residents. B:SM’s e-mobility network has become a benchmark in aspects such as its well balanced deployment in the city’s neighbourhoods, its commitment to efficient energy management and the way it includes the users of various operators.  Other aspects taken into account during the selection of Endolla include its support for the sector in its development and participation in various innovation and knowledge exchange initiatives, at both a local and European level. Redha Zetchi, the director of B:SM’s New Mobility, will be speaking during one of the work sessions scheduled for today. 

In order to form part of the UNECE forum, Endolla Barcelona had to go through an international selection process, in which 37 projects from various countries took part. Finally, 16 initiatives will be presented, which were developed in a wide variety of places, including Brazil, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Senegal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia, the United Kingdom and Spain. All of them share a clear commitment to sustainability, improving the quality of people’s lives and achieving the SDGs, while respecting the Environmental, Social and Governance principles (ESGs) in areas such as transport, renewable energies, health, education and urban services. 

Barcelona, a leader in e-mobility in Southern Europe, with Endolla

With over 650 charging points distributed throughout the city, Endolla Barcelona is the largest public e-mobility network in Spain. In 2022, Endolla will continue to grow, with the opening of 50 new points, involving an investment of €700,000. This will bring the total number of active charging points to 703.

Endolla’s deployment is based on an equitable, flexible and scalable investment strategy that takes into account the road that still lies ahead for the sector, in this constantly evolving industry. This is why it plans to have 1,000 charging points operating at full capacity by the end of 2023 and a growth capacity of over 2,000 additional points, which would start operating based on the progress of demand and technology.  

There are currently 6.5 points per km2 distributed throughout the city’s neighbourhoods, with one charging point for every 11.4 electric vehicles and a service availability of 97%. Added to all the other charging points used by the public, these figures will make Barcelona Europe’s second largest city in number of charging points per km2, after Stockholm, and the fourth largest in number of points per resident, after Stockholm, Gothenburg and Oslo.

75% of Endolla’s charging points are in B:SM car parks. This shows a commitment to prioritising sustainable, planned off-street charging, at off-peak hours. This way, fast charging points can be concentrated on the streets, minimising the amount of public space taken up by them and reducing the external factors associated with parking.

The project, with an investment of €10 million by B:SM, will be located on Floor -2 of the Fish Market complex, which is to house three research centres linked to the Ciutadella of Knowledge

This is the first car park to be designed at origin as a hub for mobility services, in order to provide a response to challenges that include the urban distribution of goods and the charging of electric vehicles    

With a surface area of 7,000 m2, it will also include areas for the safe parking of bicycles and personal mobility vehicles 

Construction work will begin in October 2022, enabling the development of a new car park adapted to the needs of future mobility.

Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) is to build and manage a new underground car park on the site of the former Fish Market. The site is delimited by the streets of Wellington, Villena, Ramon Trias Fargas and Avinguda Icària. It currently houses the B:SM Wellington – Zoo car park, which will be replaced by one of the focal areas of the future Ciutadella of Knowledge, formed by a complex of buildings that will house the three main research centres making up this new knowledge hub. 

The construction work is the result of a collaboration agreement signed between Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona City Council and B:SM in 2019. In accordance with this agreement, B:SM will take on the construction project for the underground floor housing the car park and the perimeter walls that delimit the complex.  

The construction work, which will be put out to tender this week, is scheduled to begin in October 2022 and finish in the autumn of 2024. The construction of this infrastructure involves a total investment of €26.6 million, €10 million of which are provided directly by B:SM, while the rest comes from the other operators involved. 

A car park conceived as a hub for mobility services

The new B:SM Ciutadella of Knowledge – Zoo car park is the first one in the B:SM network that has been conceived from the outset as a mobility services hub, a strategy with which B:SM aims to contribute to improving mobility in the city, based on efficient, sustainable and shared solutions that respond to the general public’s new habits. 

With a total surface area of 7,000 m2, the car park has been designed as an almost entirely diaphanous floor, with a minimal presence of columns. The idea is to create flexible areas that can be adapted to the various mobility services that it will be housing.  

The car park will offer parking spaces for cars and motorcycles, using a design that will optimise the available space. It will also have parking spaces fitted with charging points, which will be included in the Endolla Barcelona e-mobility network, promoting the transition towards electric vehicles and reducing the city’s carbon footprint. More specifically, it will have 273 spaces for cars, 70 of which will be fitted with charging points; and 45 spaces for motorcycles, 18 of which will be for electric motorcycles. Following the smart deployment strategy for the e-mobility network, the space will be fitted with a preliminary installation that will make it possible to expand the charging infrastructure in the future. 

The Ciutadella of Knowledge – Zoo car park will include other urban-mobility solutions, such as a space exclusively for the safe parking of bicycles and personal mobility vehicles, as well as car-sharing services. 

Furthermore, it will help to reduce traffic generated by urban goods distribution, thanks to the installation of Click&Collect spaces, where city residents can pick up and return packages, 24 hours a day. The site will also have Delivery Station Points, small storage spaces from which micro-fulfilment operators can deliver goods to the surrounding neighbourhoods. 

A new step in the configuration of the Ciutadella of Knowledge

Initiation of the car park’s construction is a new step towards configuring one of the most important knowledge hubs for the future of the city: the Ciutadella of Knowledge. 

The Fish Market will house three new buildings, for the use of Pompeu Fabra University, the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC-UPF) and the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) respectively. This complex will promote interdisciplinary research and innovation in biomedicine, biodiversity and planetary well-being. The new scientific hub, which is scheduled to become operational at the end of 2025, will reinforce the series of scientific, educational and cultural institutions that are already present in the area around Ciutadella Park, forming a strategic hub for research and innovation concerning planetary well-being. 

The City Council is to allocate €1 million euros this year, funded from proceeds raised through the Tax on Stays in Tourist Establishments (IEET) to the Civic Officers service. The aim is to promote civic and responsible uses of, as well as positive community life in, public spaces that attract large crowds of visitors, coinciding with the resumption of tourist activity. The last two years of the pandemic saw the service re-orientated towards support for vaccination points and other related work.

The service is managed by Barcelona de Serveis Municipal and has 58 regular officers throughout the year, and as many as 70 during the summer months and at points and areas with high concentrations of tourists. The officers’ work is focused on improving positive community life with local residents, preventing disputes and anti-social behaviour through awareness-raising and information on the rules of positive community life and use of public spaces.

Civic Officers will regularly patrol the neighbourhoods of La Barceloneta, Sant Antoni, in the Barri Gòtic, throughout the year, as well as Plaça de les Glòries and Montjuïc mountain. There will be extra officers deployed in the Sagrada Família area during the summer months. The Civic Officers’ service will be in operation in Gràcia from July to September.

External Civic Officers will also be working regularly at Turó de la Rovira and the Magic Fountain and from time to time at La Boqueria market.

Civic Officers also undertake morning-time support work throughout the year at the 10 Citizen Help and Information Offices (OACS). 

The four strategic pillars of the project are opening up to the city, promoting sailing, creating economic activity linked to the sea and the blue economy, and catering 

The Chair of B:SM and First Deputy Mayor, Jaume Collboni, together with the Second Deputy Mayor, Janet Sanz, accompanied King Felipe VI to the Olympic Port, and shared with him the goals of the transformation process already under way at the Port. 

The institutional visit was attended by the Spanish Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas; the Central government’s representative in Catalonia, Maria Eugènia Gay; the Barcelona City Councillor for Sports and Sant Martí District Councillor, David Escudé; the Manager for the Area of Economy, Resources and Economic Promotion, Albert Dalmau; and the CEO of B:SM, Marta Labata.

The King and his officials took a stroll along the Dic de Recer breakwater and Moll de Mestral wharf to see how the project was progressing. During this new phase, the Olympic Port will become a reference point open to the city, where sailing and economic activity linked to the sea and the blue economy will coexist under sustainability and public-management criteria. In addition, a new catering model will be launched, turning the Olympic Port into a major culinary centre on the city's seafront.

The new facilities, whose official opening coincided with the start of the Easter Week holidays, include new dissemination elements for raising awareness of the plight of this now endangered species

The Zoo is also incorporating a family activity and revamping its children’s play area 

Barcelona Zoo is officially opening its new Dragon Land Discovery Centre. Its aim is to offer visitors an immersive experience that will enable them to discover first-hand the life of Komodo dragons. This new space, which can be visited as of today, coinciding with the start of the Easter Week holidays, will complement observations of these animals with various interpretative elements to help visitors understand the gradual decline this species has been experiencing in nature and which has taken them to the edge of extinction.

The Discovery Centre is integrated into Dragon Land, a facility that reproduces the National Komodo Park’s forest, located in the Lesser Sunda Islands, in the Indonesian archipelago. The new space is acoustically arranged to offer an immersive experience that transports visitors to the dragons’ natural habitat. It incorporates new interpretation and dissemination elements, including the reproduction of a nest and life-size replica of a dragon. In addition, it offers screenings of a panoramic video that explains the plight of the species and becomes a surround sound experience, thanks to 30 loudspeakers distributed throughout the room. 

The modernisation of the Komodo dragons' facility is part of the Zoo’s transformation process, based on its new model, which reaffirms its commitment to the conservation of species. In fact, Barcelona Zoo has become an important player in the ex situ conservation of dragons, participating actively in the EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP), formerly known as the European Endangered Species Programme, coordinated by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.

The current Komodo dragon population in nature is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000. Most live in the Komodo National Park, where there has been a steady reduction both in numbers and in the size of protected areas. Human activity is responsible for the decline: Destruction of habitats so crops can be cultivated; fragmentation of populations owing to growth of urban centres and decline in prey caused by hunting and illegal trafficking of pets. For all these reasons, the status of the species has worsened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, from considered vulnerable to endangered species.

New activities starting from Easter Week

A new educational, family-orientated activity is being launched for Easter Week, the “La closca de la tortuga” [tortoise shell] workshop. It aims to provide an in-depth look at the situation of Catalonia’s native tortoises. 

Meanwhile, as a supplement to free visits to the complex, visitors will still be able to choose between various workshops relating to animal welfare, conservation of endangered species and zoology. Run by the Zoo School’s team, these activities are included in ticket prices and do not require prior booking.

These are the initiatives launched by the Zoo to reaffirm its commitment to society as a centre for biodiversity conservation and raising public awareness. 

A more inclusive children’s play area

Another new development is the completion of the first phase of the remodelling of the children’s play area. The space incorporates new structures designed for children of all ages and which have been chosen based on inclusiveness criteria. 

One of the main improvements is the 38m2 large expanse of sand specifically intended for young children who are at the crawling stage. Other play equipment in the area includes a wooden sailing boat, various structures made from logs, a walkway with an elastic strap, a round table for playing with clay, two mobile horses and a horse-drawn carriage. The second phase, which will be carried out at the end of the year, will complete the comprehensive renovation of the play area. 

The Zoo aims to use this initiative to strengthen its position as an educational family leisure space. 

The 19th edition of the Ophiusa Regatta is taking place between 14 and 16 April

The Olympic Port continues to help with the revitalisation of nautical activity, which is one of the core strategies of its transformation

For the first time, the Olympic Port is hosting the start of the Ophiusa Regatta. Tomorrow, 14 April, Barcelona will become the starting point for the 19th edition of the event, which links the Catalan coast with the island of Formentera. The regatta, which ends on 16 April, includes 92 participants on 22 vessels; 12 will be starting from the Olympic Port and 6 from Majorca. The vessels are due to arrive in Formentera on Saturday, at 2 pm. In the last edition of the regatta, which until now had always started from the Port of Sitges, 19 sailing boats took part.

Recent improvements made to the Port’s facilities have made it possible to increase sailing safety and improve access from the sea. The dredging of the port's mouth has increased its depth to 4 metres, which means that the vessels can congregate inside the port at the starting time.

The Olympic Port, revitalising nautical activity

Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) has been managing the Olympic Port on behalf of Barcelona City Council since March 2020, in order to oversee its transformation. During this new era, under the criteria of sustainability and public management, the Olympic Port aims to be a public space which brings together nautical activities and the generation of economic activity, mainly linked to the sea and the blue economy.

At the end of February, work was completed on the anchoring chain and mooring guide systems. These adaptations have made it possible to reorganise the mooring points, adapting their width in order to fit the needs of vessel beams. As a result, each boat moored at the port has more space.
Hosting the 19th Ophiusa Regatta fits in with the aim of reinforcing the Olympic Port’s links with sport and nautical activity.

This Saturday, 23 April, saw 18,360 people enjoying a live stage performance of C.Tangana’s Sin cantar ni afinar Tour, the presentation tour for his album El madrileño

Boasting a maximum audience capacity of 18,500, the Palau Sant Jordi is the largest indoor complex of its kind in Spain

Over the last two years, B:SM has invested €1.4 million in improving the facilities of the Olympic Ring and the audience experience

A concert that will go down in history. The Palau Sant Jordi set a new audience record this Saturday. A total of 18,360 people enjoyed the live concert given by the singer C.Tangana as part of his Sin cantar ni afinar Tour presenting his latest album, El madrileño.  

These audience figures were achieved thanks to a series of investments worth a total of €1.4 million made by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) over the last two years, with a view to improving both the facilities and the overall visitor experience at the Olympic Ring. 

The capacity of the Palau Sant Jordi arena has been increased to 18,500, thanks to the enlargement of the emergency exits. The Palau Sant Jordi is thus consolidated as the largest indoor venue for events in Spain, with technical characteristics that enhance the venue’s capacity to attract major international tours and increase the interest from music promoters in locating large-scale shows in the city of Barcelona.   

The remodelling of the press gallery, the renovation of the outside lighting system, and the roof of the inner courtyard in the Sant Jordi Club are just a few of the latest improvements to the venue’s facilities. 
The format of the C.Tangana concert required the deployment of a large operational and technical team. In total, more than 500 professionals were involved in staging the concert: auxiliary, safety, accommodation, production, catering and cleaning staff, for example. 

A hundred events to bring a buzz to the city

In 2022, the Olympic Ring will once again be one of the city's main venues for major events. In total, it will host more than 100 events, including concerts, sporting and family events and citizen participation activities. Notable activities on the programme include the Olympic Stadium’s large-scale tours (Red Hot Chili Peppers and Iron Maiden) and performances from Spanish and international artists and groups at the Palau Sant Jordi (Dua Lipa, Alicia Keys, The Cure, Serrat, Sopa de Cabra and Antonio Orozco and more). As for sport, the Indoor Trial will be joining the Barcelona Olympic Ring's ongoing programme of live events.
 

The 2030 Agenda Commissioner, Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) and Mobile World Capital Barcelona are launching this call to the sector, through the InnovAcció 2030 programme

The aim is to promote the design of a flexible charging point, capable of covering several parking places, and the production of a charging point that cuts the cost price of current models by 85% 

Enterprises and entrepreneurs have until 27 May to submit their projects and the winning proposals will be announced before the end of the year

With these new calls a total of eight challenges have now been launched as part of the InnovAcció programme for finding solutions to the city’s various needs and demands

The 2030 Agenda Commissioner, Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) and Mobile World Capital Barcelona are launching two challenges to continue promoting electromobility in the city. Enshrined in the InnovAcció 2030 programme, the two projects are intended to stimulate the transition to electric vehicles, one of the challenges of future mobility in line with the 2030 Agenda, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The Endolla Barcelona electromobility network, which will include 703 active points by the end of 2022, has 70% of its charging points in B:SM car parks. Given its density and compactness, Barcelona is aiming to prioritise sustainable and planned charging during off-peak hours in car parks, thereby freeing up public space for other uses. The two challenges presented are therefore intended to bring about a thorough examination of the charging infrastructure's efficient and sustainable development in these areas, speeding up the installation of easy-to-implement charging points that enable a high turnover of shorty-stay vehicles to be achieved. 

With these two open calls, one seeking more economical charging points and the other for creating a flexible, mobile charging model, a total of eight challenges have now been launched as part of the InnovAcció programme, Barcelona’s commitment to speeding up sustainable and social urban innovation to meet the 2030 Agenda goals and find solutions to the needs and demands of the city and its residents in an open and collaborative way.

An economical, easy-to-maintain charging point

The aim of the first call is to promote the production of an inexpensive charging point which can be integrated into the SMOU System, the mobile app that offers users all the information on mobility services in the city. While maintaining competitive technical and quality requirements, it aims to facilitate the design of a cheap charger model that is easy to install and has low maintenance costs. It is intended, more specifically, to lower costs by roughly 85%, from today’s €1,500 to a price of under €200. 

Cheaper charging points will help speed up the development of electromobility in the city in a smart, sustainable and efficient way. In addition, the wider availability of these charging points will encourage the transition towards electric vehicles not just among city residents but also among other groups, such as corporate fleets of vehicles. 

The winner of the challenge will have to provide ten low-cost charging points, five of which will be installed and will operate as a pilot test as part of the B:SM Endolla Barcelona network. The winning initiative will receive 70,000 euros.

A charging point that can be moved to other parking places

The aim of the second challenge is to develop a flexible, mobile charging point. The goal is to provide cover for various parking spaces without the need for the charger to be in a single, fixed location. This mobile charger will have to enable a more efficient short-stay parking service while avoiding an overload of the electrical infrastructure. As with inexpensive points, the flexible-point charging system will have to be connected to the points’ central management system and must be able to interact with users through the SMOU mobile app. 

Thanks to flexible points, the network of points can be deployed without the need for them to be connected to a fixed parking place, thereby allowing the service to cover several places and cars located at least 6 car places away (roughly 15 metres). A solution of this type would enable more efficient adaptation to the demand for electric-vehicle charging in short-stay parking spaces, by offering a more flexible service.

In this case, the challenge is worth 90,000 euros and the winning enterprise will have to provide a charging point operating as a pilot test in a B:SM Network Car Parking integrated into the Endolla Barcelona network.

A public competition with maximum transparency

There is an ideas competition behind each InnovAcció 2030 challenge that seeks to find the best solution for the need raised and which enables projects to be tested in the city’s real environments. The challenges are raised through an innovative public-procurement mechanism run by B:SM and through innovation competitions launched under the Mobile World Capital Barcelona’s Digital Future Society programme, an initiative fuelled by collaboration with enterprises, organisations and entrepreneurs with the vocation and capacity to generate innovation.

The call for project entries was published on 4 April. Enterprises and entrepreneurs have until 27 May to submit their projects and the winning proposals will be announced before the end of the year.

InnovAcció: a total of eight challenges under way 

With the launch of these two calls, a total of eight challenges have now been launched under the InnovAcció 2030 umbrella to promote innovation in important areas in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

To date, and for the five calls that are now closed, a total of 62 proposals have been received, 24 of which are international proposals from 19 different countries. The winning solutions will ultimately be applied in a real context where they will be implemented under a pilot test.

The first challenge, with which the programme was launched, was to reduce the environmental footprint of the technology sector to respond to the climate emergency. It is already at its winners’ pilot-test implementation stage: UOC and Awasense.

A further three challenges were launched in October 2021 from B:SM and Mobile World Capital, through the Digital Future Society initiative. Based on the use of data and technology, the first two set the challenge of designing inclusive and accessible visits to two of the city’s iconic spaces managed by B:SM: Park Güell and Barcelona Zoo. The third challenge, by contrast, was for the implementation of a parking-permit system on the street intended for people with functional diversity, for a fairer distribution of parking spaces. 

Barcelona City Council, acting in collaboration with Digital Future Society, has also launched two of the three district level challenges envisaged for this year. The first is a challenge in Les Corts to bring about improved communication accessibility and inclusion in the Guitard toy library. The second is an innovation challenge under way in Eixample aimed at encouraging more sustainable tourism in the district. In this case the goal is to identify innovative projects with a technological basis aimed at promoting Eixample’s heritage, managing mobility, redistributing visitor flows and strengthening smart communication with visitors from the district, among other things. A challenge in Horta-Guinardó is yet to be launched.