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Barcelona reinforces schoolyards and play areas with 75 new shaded areas
Barcelona wants to make going outside in summer a little less tough. This year, the city will install 75 new shaded areas in schoolyards, children’s play areas, and urban spaces—a measure designed to reduce the impact of heat in the places where it’s felt most: parks, squares, and everyday routes.
The rollout will add more than 14,800 square metres of extra shade. The initiative will reach 38 play areas, 21 urban spaces, and 16 schoolyards, with special attention to areas where planting trees is not easy or where heat accumulates for hours.
The measure aims above all to protect children, older people, and residents who spend a lot of time outdoors during the hottest months. In a dense city with lots of pavement and neighbourhoods with little natural shade, a well-placed awning or structure can change the experience of a square or a schoolyard.
The City Council is opting for quick solutions, such as sails, awnings, and modular structures. These do not replace trees, but they allow shade to be gained more quickly and in places where a green intervention would take years to show visible results.
The plan also looks at landmark spaces. Three unique installations have already been awarded for the paseo Marítim, plaza Comercial, and avenida del Portal de l’Àngel. They will be ready between 2027 and 2028 and will add more than 5,000 square metres of shade in very busy areas.
According to municipal studies, these installations can reduce direct solar radiation by up to 80% and improve thermal comfort by an average of more than 7 degrees. The orientation of the sails, the type of pavement, and air circulation will be key for the shade to really make a difference.
During the summer of 2026, users will be able to rate the new shaded areas through digital surveys in 40 play areas. The City Council will also continue to measure their impact in schools and urban spaces to adjust future designs.
The strategy is part of the Programa d’Ombres and is connected to other measures against heat, such as climate shelters, water play areas, and the more than 1,700 drinking water fountains distributed across Barcelona. The aim is not only to beautify the city, but to ensure that children, families, and residents can continue using public spaces when the sun is at its strongest.
The progress of these new shaded areas gives a very clear picture of the urban summer ahead. Barcelona can no longer rely only on future trees or indoor shelters: it needs visible, nearby, and quick solutions so that a play area, a square, or a schoolyard does not become impossible to use during the hottest hours.