Resources to Promote Active Commuting in Towns and Cities of Barcelona Province

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Sustainability

Resources to Promote Active Commuting in Towns and Cities of Barcelona Province

Tools for municipalities to promote active commuting, sustainability, and the right to time.

Barcelona Provincial Council

Spain

Local policy

POLICY OBJECTIVE

Promote healthy mobility in municipalities and the right to time with an intersectional perspective.

We facilitate tools for municipalities so that they can plan, execute, and assess policies that promote active commuting among citizens, thus helping to improve health and change time use and mobility habits in more compact cities.

CONTEXT

Habits and lifestyles involving mobility and time use have a significant impact on people’s health.

Physical inactivity has various causes, and is a risk factor for a wide range of diseases and health problems. The increased use of vehicles, instead of walking or cycling, and the lack of time have led to more sedentary behaviours.

People spend a significant amount of time commuting, and how we get around affects individual and collective health, including physical activity, air quality, and accidents. It is important to incorporate moderate physical activity into daily commutes in a compact city model.

POLICY DESCRIPTION

The Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona) offers municipalities tools and resources to promote healthy ways of commuting in cities and thus contribute to increasing moderate physical activity in commutes.

Tools for planning:

“Urban environment and health – Promoting active commuting: regulations, studies, experiences, proposals, and recommendations” guide.
Guides and support for creating Local Health Plans.

Tools for implementation:

Health education activities: workshops to help teenagers incorporate physical activity into daily life. Financial support for health promotion actions: grants to create school paths, school bike buses and walking buses and promote bike paths and active ways of commuting.

Tools for evaluation:

Local Health Indicators Report: with data at local and regional level. Survey of health-related habits, including questions about daily commutes, for year four students of secondary education.

KEY ASPECTS

Covers each part of the public policy cycle. Incorporates cross-cutting work and intersectionality. Offers a wide range of tools that can meet the needs of various municipalities (large/small, rural/urban, etc.).

RESULTS

Tools for planning:

“Urban environment and health – Promoting active commuting” guide: 320 views since 2019
Guides and support for Local Health Plans: 80 municipalities supported in creating Local Health Plans.

Tools for implementation:

Local Health Indicators Report: 69 municipalities in 2021
Survey of health-related habits among year four secondary students: 27 participating municipalities in 2021

Policy's Website

Teresa

Llorens

Coordinator of the Equality and Social Sustainability Area

llorensct@diba.cat

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