This winter, the Barcelona City Council has reinforced its commitment to citizens by making 141 municipal facilities and public spaces available as shelters against the cold.
In view of the drop in temperatures, the initiative seeks especially to help vulnerable people who are unable to maintain a comfortable temperature in their homes.
This is not the first time Barcelona has taken such measures. For the second winter in a row, a plan is being activated to provide warm places for those in need.
The network of climate shelters includes libraries, sports centers, museums, environmental facilities and the Center for Emergencies and Social Emergencies of Barcelona (CUESB), ensuring that there are accessible options throughout the city.
The Barcelona City Council has stressed that this effort responds to the need to ensure that all citizens, especially those in vulnerable situations, have access to places sheltered from the cold, less than 5 minutes from their homes.
In addition, the initiative seeks to improve the comfort and quality of the services offered in these spaces, as well as to intensify dissemination and communication actions so that the public is aware of this network of climate shelters.
Cold shelter spaces to take refuge from low temperatures
The long-term goal is to provide the inhabitants of Barcelona with a year-round climatic shelter, both in the hot summer months and on freezing winter days.
These spaces, characterized by providing thermal comfort, maintain their usual functions and are designed to guarantee an average temperature of 19 degrees Celsius during the winter. They also offer comfortable resting areas and free water.
The measure is in line with a trend of social awareness and municipal responsibility to ensure that basic services, such as shelter from extreme weather conditions, are available to all citizens.
To facilitate access to this network of weather shelters, the schedule of each one can be consulted on the municipal website, which also has a map of locations for the convenience of citizens.
With this proactive approach, Barcelona presents itself as a city committed to the well-being of its inhabitants, especially those who face the greatest challenges during the coldest months of the year.
Barcelona reinforces its network of shelters
These spaces, which maintain additional functions, seek to guarantee thermal comfort especially for vulnerable people such as babies, the over 75s, the chronically ill and those with fewer resources. The shelters are identified with a vinyl at the entrance.
With a temperature of around 19ºC during the winter, improved accessibility, comfortable resting areas and free water, the shelters are clearly identified to facilitate their location. Details on locations and schedules are available on the City Council website.
