Eleven of the city’s primary schools have become climate shelters in a project that has received funding from the Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) programme of the European Commission. Its aim is to “adapt schools to climate change by means of green, blue and grey”, and it proposes blue measures (incorporation of water points), green measures (shade spaces and vegetation) and grey measures (interventions in buildings to improve their insulation).

These schools have transformed their outdoor spaces in a collaborative process involving government authorities, associations and schools, by means of pedagogical projects carried out with the pupils of each centre to decide on specific actions. These green, blue and grey interventions have served to replace concrete with some 1,000 m² of soil and vegetation, and create 2,213 m² of shade spaces with pergolas and awnings. In addition, a further 74 trees have been planted, on two entire street blocks of the Eixample district, and 26 water points installed.

The definition and monitoring of these measures will be included in the schools’ educational projects, which will work on information and training about climate change.

The idea is that these spaces will serve not only school children but also local residents, who will be able to access the playgrounds outside school hours. All the changes will be monitored, with the aim of being able to evaluate the impact on environmental, health and well-being parameters. These actions are also intended to raise citizen and school awareness of the need to promote measures to adapt the city to climate change, and the fact that these measures are equally applicable to other buildings.