40 Climate Shelters Now Active in L'Hospitalet
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat has expanded its network of climate shelters to 40 designated spaces, 19 outdoor green areas and 21 indoor municipal facilities, as part of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area's (AMB) city-wide initiative to protect residents during heatwaves. The addition of 28 new shelters this summer, 16 outdoor and 12 indoor, brings the total number in the city to 40. These spaces are spread across all districts and are accessible to the public for rest and thermal relief during periods of high temperatures.
For the AMB to classify them as climate shelters, you previously needed a minimum number of square meters, but now the requirements have changed, so all the green islands that we have been creating recurrently have been added.
David Gómez, Deputy Mayor for Urban Quality, explained the updated criteria that allowed smaller green spaces to be included. The city has been developing green islands as part of its long-term urban cooling strategy.
New Shelters and Green Islands
The new outdoor shelters include parks in Can Buxeres, Les Planes, and Alhambra. The 12 newly incorporated indoor facilities join nine previously designated shelters: the Marcel·lí Maneja and Gornal Municipal Sports Centres, Tecla Sala Art Centre, Torre Barrina, José María García-Calvillo Cultural Centre in Santa Eulàlia, La Florida Municipal Market, and the senior citizens' centres in Pubilla Cases, Bellvitge-L'Ermita, and Ca n'Arús. Residents can locate all shelters using the AMB's climate shelter search engine, which lists 319 shelters across 36 metropolitan municipalities.
The city continues to develop green infrastructure to mitigate urban heat. Four green islands have already been completed: Bosc dels Nadons, Los Diablos gardens, Santa Eulàlia green island, and Bellvitge green island.
Primary sources: barcelona.cat. Reported by lhdigital.cat, LHDigital (L'Hospitalet).
