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Barcelona reinforces its climate shelters ahead of a more extreme summer
Barcelona faces another summer of intense heat with a network of more than 500 climate shelters spread across the city. The aim is to ensure that residents, children, older people, and those living in poorly insulated flats have a cool place nearby to rest, hydrate, and escape the hottest hours of the day.
The network will operate from June to September and combines public facilities, private spaces, and outdoor areas. Libraries, civic centres, museums, sports facilities, shaded parks, school playgrounds, pharmacies, and shops will form part of a map designed so that relief from the heat doesn't depend solely on home air conditioning.
One of this year's new features is the addition of more than 60 microrefuges. These are small spaces, such as pharmacies, organisations, or local businesses, that offer free access, a more comfortable temperature, and a place to pause for those who need to break up a journey or recover during a sweltering day.
The City Council estimates that 99.2% of the population will have a climate shelter less than 10 minutes' walk away under normal conditions. More than three out of four residents will have one within five minutes—a crucial distance when the heat is on and getting around the city becomes more difficult.
Coverage will also be maintained throughout August, one of the most challenging times as many facilities reduce hours or close. Even on Sundays that month, more than 92% of residents will have a nearby shelter, according to municipal data.
The plan focuses on the most vulnerable neighbourhoods, where there is less shade, fewer green spaces, poorer housing, or more people sensitive to heat. In these areas, expanding the network aims to reduce inequalities and ensure that access to a cool place doesn't depend on your postcode.
Summer will also bring activities for families and children. There will be programming in libraries, film screenings in local facilities, and municipal nursery school playgrounds open on Saturdays as climate shelters, with free access and activities for the youngest children.
The challenge is not just to have many spaces, but to make sure people can find them. That's why maps, signage, and teams of information officers are being reinforced in the most exposed neighbourhoods. Information will be available on the municipal website and in the Barcelona a la Butxaca y BCN+65 applications.
The expansion of climate shelters shows how summer is already changing daily life in Barcelona. Sleeping worse, avoiding certain hours, seeking shade, or planning cooler routes is becoming part of the urban routine, and the city is responding with a network that turns libraries, pharmacies, and playgrounds into small lifelines against the heat.