Measure the proximity, measure the inequalities.
In the context of the Smart City Expo World Congress (#SCEWC23), the digital urban information model that explains the centralities in the city of Barcelona was presented.
In an edition of the smart city marked by digital twins, which are intended to enable administrations to make faster and more accurate decisions, we took the opportunity to showcase the digital urban model developed for the city planning team. This model is used to assess the capacity of the city's facilities in relation to the residents they should serve.
The model introduces a new calculation methodology that enhances spatial detail and the evaluation of impacts on the population. For its functioning, it utilizes open data from the city council and develops a calculation system that places the citizen at the center of the model, allowing for an understanding of the characteristics of the population that the facility serves. As a result of this new system, a new collection of cartographies with more than 100 indicators and 12 synthetic maps is presented, describing, street by street, door by door, the proximity and capacity of all the facilities that the city provides to its citizens.
The model aims to guide decisions that influence the distribution of facilities in the city, ensuring that all residents live in environments properly equipped for their day-to-day needs.
From this perspective, the distribution of various services in the city is strongly related to income distribution. Whether we observe the group of facilities necessary for daily life, those oriented towards children, or young people, we see how they are distributed inversely proportional to incomes. Thus, neighborhoods with higher incomes are better supplied, while those with lower incomes are less well supplied.
The following histograms show the income distribution for different proximity values in the group of facilities and services for daily life, the group of facilities and services for children, and the group of facilities and services for young people. The color of the column indicates the income quintile of the population (black: lowest incomes; yellow: highest incomes), and the height of the column is the population quantity residing in that category. According to the created index, lower values indicate a lower level of proximity, while higher values indicate higher levels of proximity.
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This tool and its calculation method have been developed by @300000k 300,000Km/s on behalf of the Urban Model department of the Barcelona City Council, led by Xavier Matilla.
Here is the complete access to the tool:
Doctor Arquitecto_ Catedrático de Representación Arquitectónica y Modelado_ Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya
1yCentrality studies are old, as old as the end of 1940s, 1950s, end of 1970s and beyond. But the whole issue depends from the model applied, what is its purpose… and a model is required. Controversy springs when such urban model is not specified, when the movement radius is not established. Furthermore, urban centrality is pervasive and fuzzy (spread througout and requires a límit to know the àrea where it is applied). Several technologies provide beautiful images, but its meaning really matters, not to the author, but to the citizens. As far as one knows, Barcelona and imperfect grid cities have been thoroughly studied. In our experience , Barcelona presents the traits of a metròpolis in evolution, involving no less than ten cities, and their exchanges (of transportation, services, people coming and going) do matter. An exemple, and we finish. The efects of pla Baixeras in today’s Barcelona would not be felt in the Ramblas area, but in the North cornice of the city, where research centres are intended. Why? Revise the literature, relations are all important. Urban networks are interconnected, have control centres, offer highly integrated farewares, alternative route choices, and they operate at local and global levels.
Architect
1yCarlos Benites Aguilar , a rather interesting plan describing the services of the city of Barcelona.