The peculiarity of mobility on foot in Barcelona does not allow for the application of global measures
Walking mobility is fundamental to urban sustainability and quality of life in any city, but there are few studies on how pedestrians move through public space and what urban and social factors influence this. A new study by researchers from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), the University of Barcelona and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) has found that, in the case of Barcelona, pedestrian behaviour varies greatly from one neighbourhood to another. Moreover, certain conditions that may contribute to more walking in some parts of the city have the opposite effect in others. This is why researchers warn the administration that inclusive solutions to manage mobility are not well suited to the peculiarities of cities, and in particular those of Barcelona. Therefore, if urban planning is to be improved, it is preferable to implement mobility policies adapted to the context of each neighbourhood.
Walking mobility is fundamental to urban sustainability and quality of life in any city, but there are few studies on how pedestrians move through public space and what urban and social factors influence this. A new study by researchers from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), the University of Barcelona and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) has found that, in the case of Barcelona, pedestrian behaviour varies greatly from one neighbourhood to another. Moreover, certain conditions that may contribute to more walking in some parts of the city have the opposite effect in others. This is why researchers warn the administration that inclusive solutions to manage mobility are not well suited to the peculiarities of cities, and in particular those of Barcelona. Therefore, if urban planning is to be improved, it is preferable to implement mobility policies adapted to the context of each neighbourhood.
This is one of the main conclusions of the study “Trends and drivers of pedestrian mobility in Barcelona: A fine-grained study across its commercial tissue”, which has recently been published openly in the scientific journal Cities. The paper is based on the analysis of high-resolution data from 115 people counting sensors, collected over five years at different key points in the city. As one of the most detailed analyses of urban walking mobility in Europe to date, and one of the few in the world, the results provide key information for understanding what influences pedestrian commute and how measures can be implemented to regulate it.
The study provides a detailed look at the evolution of pedestrian flows in Barcelona between 2017 and 2022 — excluding the period of confinement due to the pandemic — and analyses the impact of various urban and social characteristics on walking mobility, which is not homogeneous across the city. “In fact, it varies depending on the combination of different factors, such as the presence of public transport, commercial activity or street arrangement”, says Albert Solé, researcher at the Complex Systems group (PRIMER3), from the Digital Transformation, AI and Technology unit, and professor of Multimedia Computing and Telecommunications at UOC.
Three other CoSIN3 researchers, Clément Rames (also associated with the EPFL), Daniel Rhoads and Javier Borge, along with Professor Antoni Meseguer, from the Digital Business research group (DigiBiz) of Economics and Business Studies. Sergi Lozano, from the UB’s Faculty of Economics and Business and member of the Institute of Complex Systems, took part as well.
The results show an overall increase in pedestrian traffic and also large differences between neighbourhoods: some areas have experienced sustained growth while others show decreases or seasonal patterns. A variability that is configured for up to seven factors that influence walking mobility, such as the number of pedestrian routes, the availability of public transport or the density of neighbourhood shops, among others.
One of the main methodological advances of the study has been the use of spatial regression models that allow us to understand how the impact of each variable changes according to location. “We have noticed that the same factor can have a positive effect in one neighbourhood and a negative effect in another. We therefore propose much more contextualized urban planning that recognizes these local differences. Our models allow us to understand how these factors act differently depending on the area of the city, and this is essential to design more precise and efficient mobility policies”, says Albert Solé.
How do pedestrians move around Barcelona?
The researchers found that proximity to metro and bus stations directly influences pedestrian volumes, especially in the city centre. But this relationship is not the same in all neighbourhoods, since in peripheral areas, walking behaviour responds to different dynamics, often more related to the use of private vehicles.
Areas with a high level of commercial activity have also been found to be obvious pedestrian hotspots, although the effect of this activity is not always uniform. In some tourist areas, mainly in the city centre, the presence of visitors generates a high influx of pedestrians that does not always benefit local commerce, while in other areas, commercial density is more closely linked to the resident population and therefore to more stable mobility patterns.
One of the patterns that have been observed is that the presence of pedestrian-only spaces has a clear positive effect on walking mobility, especially in areas with a high tourist influx, such as Sagrada Família, the Gòtic or the Born. Public transport, and especially the density of bus stops, is associated with an increase in pedestrian mobility, especially in the central districts, where the network is denser, while the ratio of vehicles per inhabitant has a clearly negative effect on mobility on foot, especially in more peripheral and high-income neighbourhoods such as Sarrià-Sant Gervasi or Vila de Gràcia.
Moreover, the presence of local shops encourages walking in residential neighbourhoods, but does not have the same effect (or is even negative) in highly gentrified or tourist areas, such as Sant Antoni or Gòtic. The presence of bars, restaurants and hotels is another factor that has a different impact depending on the district.
Surprisingly, green spaces have a negative correlation with pedestrian traffic in general; the authors attribute this to the fact that many parks are located in peripheral or hard-to-reach areas and are not part of the usual walking routes. “Although green spaces have many benefits, the data show that they are not common transit areas, but rather of permanence, and this, among other factors, may explain why they do not encourage walking mobility as much”, explains Solé.
A tool for future urban planning
The authors stress that this study can be an essential tool for urban planners. The use of pedestrian sensor data provides detailed information on mobility patterns in real time and facilitates evidence-based decision-making. “It is practically impossible to know how many people walk in Barcelona without automatic data, but thanks to these sensors we can make reliable estimates by neighbourhood, street and time of day”, explains the CoSIN3 researcher.
This methodology can be applied to optimize the design of urban infrastructure, improve the distribution of services and ensure more efficient and inclusive mobility. The study lays the groundwork for extrapolating this highly detailed walking mobility analysis methodology to other cities to implement data-driven strategies that improve the quality of life of inhabitants. However, the authors insist that the results obtained in Barcelona may not be transferable to other territories, given the peculiarity of the city. Therefore, with current knowledge, it would be necessary to study each case individually.
References
Rames, C.; Rhoads, D.; Meseguer-Artola, A.; Lozano, S.; Borge-Holthoefer, J.; Solé-Ribalta, A. (2025). «Trends and drivers of pedestrian mobility in Barcelona: A fine-grained study across its commercial tissue». Cities, vol. 158. DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2024.105655.