El Carmel transforms its gardens into a new green and family-friendly space

The Jardins de Jaume Planas i Alemany reopen with renovated children's areas, more greenery, and improved accessibility. The neighbourhood gains a meeting place after a municipal investment. The former dog area will be relocated.

Today, the Carmel neighbourhood unveils one of its most anticipated urban renewals: the Jardins de Jaume Planas i Alemany reopen completely transformed, offering residents a greener, more accessible, and safer space designed for families to enjoy. This project, driven by the Pla de Barris, responds to the urgent need to expand social and play areas in one of the most densely populated parts of Barcelona with the least public space.

The renovation has included the installation of modern play equipment, with slides of different heights and climbing elements such as logs, ropes, and a hammock, suitable for all ages. The previously uneven and underused ground has been levelled to create a large flat area where the new play zones are now concentrated. In addition, two large tree pits have been opened and new species of trees and shrubs planted, increasing the greenery and improving the park's natural environment.

One of the most significant changes has been the removal of the old dog area, which no longer met current requirements. The City Council is already working on a new dog recreation area, which will be located on the municipal plot at 35 Carrer del Passarell, about 700 metres from the gardens, to continue meeting the needs of regular users.

The municipal investment in this renovation has reached 830,000 euros. Although the park is already open to the public, the project does not end here: a space has been reserved for historical memory, where an element will soon be installed to pay tribute to Jaume Planas, a key figure in the neighbourhood's history and the first member of the Associació de Veïns i Veïnes. The Pla de Barris will launch a participatory process to define this tribute together with local residents and organisations.

This initiative is part of the Pla d’Inversions Municipal 2025-2027, which foresees more than 1.9 billion euros to transform Barcelona. In Horta-Guinardó, investment exceeds 174 million, with projects such as the first outdoor escalator for pedestrians in Montbau, the undergrounding of power lines in Carrer Bové, or the covering of the Ronda de Dalt, among other improvements aimed at making the city more liveable and sustainable.

Jaume Planas, after whom these gardens are named, was a woodworker and a volunteer in the defence of the republic in 1936. His involvement in the community life of Carmel marked a turning point in the neighbourhood's organisation. The future memorial area in the gardens aims not only to remember him, but also to strengthen the link between local history and the new public spaces that now bring Carmel to life.